Starlight, Starbright
by Fiery Keys
Summary: This wasn't how she imagined spending the first three weeks of the new term-confined in a hospital bed due to a broken leg, finishing her novel and texting a complete stranger who had gotten her number by accident. NaLu. AU.
1. The Wrong Number

**Starlight, Starbright**

 **Chapter One**

 **The Wrong Number**

Natsu Dragneel carefully typed in the new number of his friend, Lisanna Strauss as he prepared to send her a text.

He was seated in the cafeteria of his school. Lisanna had been absent that day, so he wanted to tell her that he was coming by her place by 7 to drop of her notes.

Gray Fullbuster, Natsu's long time rival chose that moment to step up to him. "Oi, Flame Brain, I challenge ya to a fight."

"Not now, Ice Princess, I'm busy."

"Heh, ya scared?"

Natsu jumped up and spun around-typing the last three numbers 593 instead of 498 accidently-and glared at him. "Over my dead body!"

They fought heatedly for the next 20 minutes and then the bell rung, signaling the end of, lunch-time.

"Darn!" Natsu hissed. He hurriedly picked up his phone and typed jerkily the following message:

 _DragonSlayer:_

 _Lis, i'm coming over 2 ur house at 7. See ya!_

That done, he shoved his phone into his pocket and dashed to class. It wasn't touched for the rest of the day, until while waiting at for his little sister, he casually pulled it out and checked it.

A new notification had popped up. Natsu clicked on it. The message was from _StarlightSpirit_.

Natsu blinked at the unfamiliar name and then shrugged it off. Lisanna had changed her number so she probably would've changed her username, too. He opened up the message.

 _StarlightSpirit:_

 _I'm afraid you have the wrong number. I am not the 'Lis' you have mentioned nor do I know her. Sorry._

Natsu stared at the message. He had been distracted while typing the number but…..

 _DragonSlayer:_

 _Are u sure?_

Minutes later, a reply appeared.

 _StarlightSpirit:_

 _Perfectly._

Natsu replied.

 _DragonSlayer:_

 _Sry bout that._

 _StarlightSpirit: No problem. :D Everyone makes mistakes._

Natsu looked up from his phone. Waiting for his sister, he had been standing near the school gates. There was no sign of her yet. Looking back at the device, he preceded to text her.

 _Dragon Slayer:_

 _Wendy, what's taking u?_

Almost instantly, a message arrived.

 _MaidenoftheSky:_

 _I'm sorry, Natsu! I got caught with school-work…..I'm on my way over._

Satisfied, Natsu was about to reply when he noticed a message from StarlightSpirit.

 _StarlightSpirit:_

 _Are you there?_

 _DragonSlayer:_

 _Sry, I was texting my sis._

 _StarlightSpirit:_

 _Oh, you have a sister? Lucky. :D I've always wanted one._

 _DragonSlayer:_

 _She's younger to me. She's only 14, but she's a super genius and skipped classes all the way to high school._

 _StarlightSpirit:_

 _WOW! Are you serious?! That's amazing!_

Natsu smirked in pride over Wendy as he replied.

 _DragonSlayer:_

 _Yup, you got it._

 _StarlightSpirit:_

 _Heh, it's kinda nice talking to you_ _ **DragonSlayer.**_ _I was pretty bored until now and needless to say, that feeling's gone._

Natsu blinked in surprise and slowly typed his response.

 _DragonSlayer:_

 _Yeah? Thx! It's cool talking to u, too! Y'kow, u kinda remind me of Lisanna._

 _StarlightSpirit:_

 _Lisanna? Is that the friend you were trying to text?_

 _DragonSlayer:_

 _Yup! Ur personalities seem alike. Lis is pretty nice. She's an awesome cook, only not as good as her older sis, Mira._

 _StarlightSpirit:_

 _Whoa, whoa, whoa, HOLD ON! Are oyu telling me that your friend is Mira, as in Mirajane Strauss' sister?_

 _DragonSlayer:_

 _Yeah, what about it?_

 _StarlightSpirit:_

 _Nothing, only, I know Mira. She owns Fairy Tail Café. I visit it regularly on Friday and Saturday nights._

Natsu's eyes widened.

 _DragonSlayer:_

 _Really! Cool! That means you live in Magnolia, too!_

He sent the message and looked up as Wendy came running up to him, panting. "Sorry for the wait!"

Natsu took Wendy's bag from her, swung it over his shoulders and ruffled her hair affectionately. "No problem, Wens. Let's get goin'."

Wendy nodded with a smile. Natsu tucked the phone into his pocket and they started to walk home.

Natsu and Wendy Dragneel lived with their mother, Grandine. Their father, Igneel was a captain in the Fiorian Army and hadn't been home for 3 years. Due to the money that he sent along with his bright, cheerful letters despite the muddy trenches, Grandine only had to work a part-time job in the mornings to support them comfortably. Natsu dreamed of being a soldier like his dad one day, and Wendy wanted to be a doctor.

"We're home!" Natsu shouted as he and Wendy stepped into the house.

There was no reply.

"Mom?" Natsu called, confused. Wendy ran toward the kitchen and Natsu quickly followed her.

Wendy reached the kitchen first and gave a little shriek at what she saw.

A glass lay on the floor, shattered. It's contents was spilled.

And, Grandine Dragneel was laying face-first on the floor.

Natsu dropped his bag and stood as if frozen.

Wendy stared for a minute and instantly took charge of the situation. Turning around, she ordered Natsu to pick up Grandine and lay her on the sofa. Then, Wendy got the first aid box and a thermometer. Checking Grandine's temperature, Wendy discovered that she had a particularly bad fever and had collapsed from the strain. Was she hurt from the fall? No, only a slight ankle sprain. It would we well in a day's time, Wendy decreed.

"Natsu," Wendy told him as she covered her mother securely with warm blankets and pressed an ice-pack to her forehead. "I need you to run down to the chemist and pickup some medicine for me. Here." She thrust a list into Natsu's hand. The pinkette nodded and flew out of the door and down the street at top speed.

As he rounded a corner, he bumped hard into someone and fell down. Natsu looked up. He saw a pretty, rather short girl with light blue hair and hazel eyes on the ground.

"Sorry!" Natsu helped her up and apologized. The girl shook her head. "It's okay. But what are you in such a hurry for?"

"I'm going to the chemist," Natsu explained. "My mother's sick and needs medicine."

"I see," the girl said sympathetically. "I hope she gets better soon. Though it's funny that you should say that, as I'm going down to the hospital to visit a sick friend."

"Oh!" Natsu blinked. "I hope your friend gets better soon," he started to leave, giving her a grin. "See ya around!"

And with that, he was gone. Natsu thought no more of the girl and the girl thought no more of him.

But, little did they know, Fate was already setting its wheels in motion.


	2. Various Encounters

**Chapter Two**

 **Various Encounters**

Lucy Heartfilia laid down her pink iPhone and looked out of the window with a little sigh.

She had been hung up in the hospital for two weeks with a broken leg, which she had attained from falling down the stairs in her apartment. This was Lucy's third week in the hospital. She would be released on Saturday.

After looking out of the window for a few minutes, (the hospital bed was near it) she took a notebook from the table beside her.

It had a red leather cover and on it the words 'FAIRY TAIL' were inscribed in large, golden letters. Beneath it, the symbol of a fairy with a tail was drawn.

It was Lucy's own novel. She had been working on it for a year and a half and it was nearly complete; there were only two chapters to go.

Lucy had been inspired when she saw the Fairy Tail Café, owned by Mirajane Strauss. She had asked Mira if she (Lucy) could use the name and she (Mira) had graciously consented.

Lucy turned the pages gently, caressing them, and came to the place where she had left off. She took up her pen. It was pretty, pink fountain pen and from it hung a quaint replica of a golden key that bore the zodiac sign of Aquarius. Lucy had 9 other such keys and hung them on all of her favorite accessories. The Aquarius key was a gift from Lucy's deceased mother and therefore was very precious to her.

Lucy began to write. A remote, dreamy smile came over her face as she slipped into the rainbow-y world of storytelling. Laughter, tears, joy, sorrow, beauty, tragedy, comedy all trickled from her pen as it flew over the pages. Lucy came to herself one hour later to find that her best friend, Levy McGarden had come on her daily visit and the realization that there was only the last chapter of her book to be written.

"Natsu!" Wendy exclaimed upon seeing the medicine he had bought. "You got too much of _everything_! Did you not see my list?"

"Eh, yeah," Natsu scratched his head. "But I lost the list, you see…..I bumped into this girl on the way and she must've took my list by mistake…..I got even with her unintentionally, though…..I took this book of hers by accident."

Natsu held up the book in question. On the front page was written:

 _To Lu, love from Levy._

"Well, we can do with extra," Wendy murmured, trying to make the best of things as she carried the medicine into the kitchen.

She came back just in time to see her mother stir.

"Mom!" Natsu bent over the sofa and peered into his mother's eyes. "Are you alright?"

Grandine opened her eyes properly, only to widen them when she saw a face so close to hers.

CRASH!

Natsu soon found his body impaled in the wall.

"Mother!" Wendy looked at the woman in question reproachfully. Grandine shrugged.

"What did he want to look at me so closely in the eyes for? And why does my head ache-oh." At this point Grandine moaned and clutched her aching head.

"Lie down, Mother," Wendy commanded. "I'll get you some aspirin."

Grandine did so. Presently, Wendy reappeared with the medicine and helped her mother take it.

"Now, please lie down and rest," Wendy advised. "I'll take care of dinner. And you'll really have to skip work tomorrow, Mother. Please."

That said, Wendy vanished into kitchen to see to the chicken soup she had prepared for Grandine and the stew for their dinner. Wendy wanted to finish this quickly before doing homework and so had started the minute Natsu left for the chemist.

Grandine smiled as she lay back against the pillows, not registering Natsu walking out of the room.

What a dutiful daughter she had.

Checking his notifications, Natsu discovered that he had a text from _StarlightSpirit_.

 _StarlightSpirit:_

 _Yup, I guess so._

It was in reply to his other text.

 _DragonSlayer:_

 _Great! Maybe we can meet up sometime. :D_

Natsu grinned, flopping down on his bed.

 _This was going to be an interesting week,_ he reflected.

Lucy eagerly narrated the tale of how _DragonSlayer_ got her number. Levy listened in silence until Lucy finished and then spoke. "You say he knows Mira and Lisanna?"

"Yup!"

"Then, he should be okay. Just be careful, Lu."

Lucy mock-saluted. "Aye, sir!"

"Now," Levy continued. "How farther have you gotten in your novel?"

"Just a chapter left." Lucy confessed.

"Alright!" Levy cheered! "Now I'll _finally_ be able to read it and type it up for you and send it to Mavis Publishers!"

"Are you sure it's okay to send it to such a big company?" Lucy asked anxiously.

"Of course!" Levy declared. "We should aim for the top!"

Before Lucy could reply, her phone chimed, signaling a message notification.

Lucy read the message, smiling at _DragonSlayer's_ suggestion of meeting up. She typed out a reply and hit send.

 _StarlightSpirit:_

 _Let's talk for some more time and decide. :P_

 _DragonSlayer_ replied almost immediately.

 _DragonSlayer:_

 _Agreed! :D_

Natsu left for Lisanna's house at 6:30. He needn't have left so early, but he wanted to drop of the Levy's book at the bookstore.

Natsu entered the said store soon enough and looked around curiously. Bookstores and libraries were foreign to him, an anti-reader.

He made his way up to the main desk.

"How may I help you?" The woman at the desk asked briskly.

Natsu returned the book. "I ran into this girl and she dropped her book by accident. Was it bought here?"

The woman flipped the book open. Upon reading Levy's name, she suddenly smiled.

"Ah, Miss McGarden. Yes this book was purchased by her. She's one of our regular customers, you know."

Natsu nodded and went out. He disappeared around the corner.

Levy entered the bookstore mere seconds after Natsu left. As she expected, the book was there. When the lady told her it had just been returned, Levy hastily ran out and looked up and down the street. The boy she had run into wasn't there.

Natsu's visit at the Strauss houselhold was cut short when he revealed that he was the one who played a cruel joke on Lisanna by putting earthworms in her bed. Mirajane Strauss, a stunningly beautiful woman with silver hair falling in soft waves to her lower back and eyes like pools of sapphire advanced upon him with a death glare. Lisanna merely laughed, she had known it was Natsu, besides, she didn't mind at all, it just gave her a shock though the bed _was_ a mess later. Natsu ran out of the house at top speed screaming something about Mira being a demon and that it was only a joke.

Levy walked through the gates of the Strauss household when a whirlwind nearly knocked her of her feet as it tore past her. Regaining her bearings, she blinked at the dust it had left in its wake.

"What in the world was that?"

Natsu slowed down as he came to the main road. Had he barely passed Magnolia Hospital when a golden haired girl popped her head out of the window, observing the night life.

How long are these three going to miss each other?

 **(A/N): Thank you all, so much! I can't believe I got FIVE reviews on only one chapter! And it wasn't even that good! Thank you so much!**

 **Review Responses:**

 **(Guest) Animallover** **: Thank you! Their using one of those texting apps in which you have to enter your number, email and make a username for yourself. :D**

 **Fusion0104:** **Thank you so much!**

 **Celestialite** **:** ***laughs evilly* It is!**

 **Asuna-Sohma** **:** **Thanks!**

 **dolphintale204** **:** **Such kindness! Thank you, I'll be glad to have you as my reader!**

 **Again, thank you all! Hope you enjoyed today's chapter!**


	3. Leaving the Hospital

**Chapter Three**

 **Leaving the Hospital**

The week-days passed swiftly for Lucy. Hung up with writers block, the only thing she did was text _DragonSlayer_. They were already pretty good friends by now despite not knowing each other's real names.

Finally, the day Lucy had been waiting for all week arrived: Saturday. She was to be released from the hospital that day.

Lucy hummed happily to herself as she ran her eyes over the pages of her novel. She glanced at the time on her iPhone. There was still an hour before Levy arrived to get her. So, turning to the last page she had stopped at, she proceeded to pick up her fountain pen and write.

XOXOXOXOXOXO

An hour passed. Lucy blinked as she laid down her pen on the pages of her novel.

It was complete.

Lucy sighed. She was happy that it was complete, of course, but writing it _had_ been a lot of fun. Lucy turned over the pages tenderly, murmuring a few words aloud, correcting a mistake here, erasing a smudge there.

She turned over to the last chapter again. Lucy had left the line blank as she had not known what to name the chapter. She read it again. And then made up her mind.

Lucy filled the blank line by writing ' _A Never-Ending Adventure_.'

XOXOXOXOXOXO

Natsu opened his eyes and blinked blearily. Sitting up, he looked at the clock that hung upon the crimson walls in his room. It was 8: 00 AM.

"Why the heck did I get up so early?" He grumbled under his breath. Natsu laid back down again and tried to go back to sleep again.

He failed.

Natsu sat up once more and got out of bed. After brushing his teeth, showering and dressing, he picked up his phone and headed downstairs.

Wendy was in the kitchen, frying a breakfast of bacon and eggs, humming to herself as she cooked. Grandine was still sleeping and had just recovered, so Wendy wanted to help out, even if it was only by cooking meals.

"Mm, that smells good," Natsu commented as he walked into the dining room. It was connected to the kitchen, which had no door, so Wendy saw Natsu instantly and nearly dropped the egg she was holding.

"Natsu!" She yelped. "What are you doing up so early?!"

"Oh, just thought I'd get up early for a change," Natsu fibbed. Suddenly, his stomach growled.

Wendy laughed. "I see, you were hungry and your stomach woke you up."

"Shaddup." Natsu grumbled and sat down. Opening up his phone, he proceeded to text _StarlightSpirit,_ who he had begun to call _'Star'_.

 _DragonSlayer:_

 _Good Mornin'! :D_

He waited for a few minutes but there was no reply. Natsu frowned, tucking it into his pocket.

Maybe she wasn't up yet?

XOXOXOXOXOXO

Lucy only had to wait a little while until Levy arrived. So excited was she over leaving the hospital and finishing her novel that she kept stumbling over her words as Levy helped her out of the hospital gown and into a casual outfit of a pink blouse and black skirt. Levy listened, excited as well, that Lucy had finished her novel. They talked about it excitedly even while leaving the building, as Lucy leaned slightly on her friend's arm as her legs still felt rather wobbly.

They finally reached Lucy's pretty apartment on Strawberry Street. The blonde could barely contain herself as she hurried up the stairs, Levy behind her and threw open the door.

It looked exactly the same. Lucy's eyes took in the pink and white walls, the comfortable bed covered with a pink blanket, the comfortable armchair before the fireplace, the white couch, the coffee table and two chairs and of course, Lucy's favorite: the writing desk.

Levy smiled at Lucy's elated expression. The blunette helped her friend to the kitchen and bathroom. Lucy was so happy to be out of the hospital and in her own home that she could scarcely speak.

"It's great to be back," she finally breathed.

Levy nodded in agreement.

Pretty soon, Lucy had some instant coffee ready and the two sat down and talked and laughed and drank.

Hours ticked by, and finally, Levy had to leave. She took the novel, promising to have it ready to send tomorrow. Lucy saw her off with a smile.

Night fell soon enough, and Lucy lit a fire and sat before it, as it was beginning to get cold. She took out her iPhone.

There were four messages from Natsu, other than his good morning text:

" _Star, are you there?"_

" _STAR! What happened to ya?!"_

" _ARE YOU DEAD?!"_

" _ANSWER ALREADY, DARNIT!"_

Lucy immediately responded, feeling a little guilty.

 _StarlightSpirit:_

 _I'm sorry, DragonSlayer! I was just caught up with a few things…_

Lucy waited for a few minutes. Then, her phone chimed as a reply arrived.

 _DragonSlayer:_

 _Phew, you're alive. So what were you caught up with?_

 _StarlightSpirit:_

 _I left the hospital today._

 _DragonSlayer:_

 _That's great! Havin' fun?_

 _StarlightSpirit:_

 _You bet! It's great to be home again. ^_^_

 _DragonSlayer:_

 _I'm happy for you, then. What have you been doin' all day?_

 _StarlightSpirit:_

 _I spent a lot of time with my friend, Levy. And that novel I told you about? I finished it._

 _DragonSlayer:_

 _THAT"S AWESOME! When are you goin' to publish it?_

Lucy chuckled as she read his reply.

 _StarlightSpirit:_

 _I'm going o send it tomorrow or day-after, whenever Levy finishes proof-reading and typing it for me._

 _DragonSlayer:_

 _What's the name? When it gets published I'll read it. I'm sure it's awesome!_

Lucy blushed as she replied.

 _StarlightSpirit:_

 _Thanks! ^_^ It's called 'Fairy Tail.'_

 _DragonSlayer:_

 _Ehh? Fairy Tail? You named it after Mira's café, Star?_

 _StarlightSpirit:_

 _Yupp. It gave me inspiration, :D._

 _DragonSlayer:_

 _Oh, that makes sense._ _Good luck publishing it!_

 _StarlightSpirit:_

 _Thanks!_

They continued to text some more. 2 hours passed before they finally said goodnight and put off their phones.

Lucy glanced at the clock. It was already 9. Putting her phone down, she went to the kitchen and made herself some instant ramen and ate it before the fire.

At 9:30, Lucy received a text from Levy.

 _ScriptMage:_

 _LU! I FINALLY FINISHED YOUR BOOK, IT WAS AMAZING! I LOVED THE ENDING!_

Lucy sweatdropped when she read the text. She knew Levy was a fast reader, but this was crazy!

 _StarlightSpirit:_

 _AHHHH! I'm glad you like it, thanks a lot!_

 _ScriptMage:_

 _NO PROBLEM! I'LL BEGIN TYPING IT RIGHT AWAY!_

Lucy briefly wondered if Levy's caps lock was stuck…

 _StarlightSpirit:_

 _Good Luck! ^_^_

Levy didn't reply but Lucy knew she wouldn't.

The blonde went over to her bookshelf and picked out a thick novel and curled up in bed reading. Half an hour later, she put it down and got ready for bed.

But before she slept, she texted _DragonSlayer_ goodnight.

XOXOXOXOXOXO

 **(A/N): I'm sorry for the wait! Hope you guys liked it!**

 **Review Responses:**

 **Bored-outa-my-mind97:** **Thank you!**

 **(Guest) Animallover:** **I see. And you're welcome! And I too, look forward to it. (laughs evilly)**

 **Sorry if I missed anyone. In the meantime, review!**


	4. The Call

**Chapter 4**

 **The Call**

The next day was Sunday. Lucy lazed in bed while texting Natsu, reading and surfing the net. It was a cold, dismal and dull day and the blonde felt more comfy under the blankets then trudging around the house in an annoying cast.

At about 10 in the morning, Lucy reluctantly climbed out of bed. Making herself a quick breakfast of fried eggs she disappeared beneath blankets, eating there.

At 10:30, the tray was put away and Lucy was absorbed in a romance novel that Levy had lent her. For until 12, she was lost in the book.

When Lucy finally looked up at the clock, an exclamation left her lips. "Noon already?! How time flies!"

Carefully getting out of bed, Lucy put away the book and fixed her hair. Feeling hungry, she went to the kitchen and prepared some stew. As it was cooking, Lucy was distracted by a beep from her phone. She walked over and picked it up. There was a message from _DragonSlayer_.

 _DragonSlayer:_

 _Yo, what are u doing?_

 _StarlightSpirit:_

 _Nothing much, just getting lunch._

 _DragonSlayer:_

 _What are u having?_

 _StarlightSpirit:_

 _Stew._

 _DragonSlayer:_

 _Thats it?_

 _StarlightSpirit:_

 _Yeah, I'm not too hungry._

 _DragonSlayer:_

 _Oh, I see._

 _StarlightSpirit:_

 _Hey, you mentioned your mother was sick, right? How is she now?_

 _DragonSlayer:_

 _She's better, thnx. Though my sis is still worried about her being out of bed._

 _StarlightSpirit:_

 _Your sister sounds really sweet and caring._

 _DragonSlayer:_

 _Heh, she is._

Lucy looked up, as the stew began to boil. Dashing over, she managed to turn it off in time and sighed in relief.

 _StarlightSpirit:_

 _I'd like to meet her one day._

 _DragonSlayer:_

 _Oh? What about me?_

Lucy grinned.

 _StarlightSpirit:_

 _Who wants to meet you? You're probably rude, childish and obnoxious._

 _DragonSlayer:_

 _Oi! Rude!_

 _StarlightSpirit:_

 _Heh, I was just messing with you. I would like to see you one day._

 _DragonSlayer:_

 _Maybe u will._

Lucy was taken aback by his confidence. Not going to be bettered, she replied as steadfastly.

 _StarlightSpirit:_

 _Yes, maybe._

XOXOXOXOXO

"Natsu! Lunch is ready!"

"Coming!"

Natsu rolled of his bed, clutching his smartphone and slowly trudged out of his room and down the stairs as he replied to _StarlightSpirit_.

 _DragonSlayer:_

 _And I'll show u Happy, my cat. He's awesome._

There was no reply. Natsu shrugged. Star probably had something to do.

Tucking the phone into his pocket, Natsu entered the dining room.

His eyes immediately wandered to a large chocolate cake presiding on the counter. Natsu's mouth watered.

"I made that myself!" Wendy said proudly, coming out of the kitchen, balancing two dishes in her hands.

"Looks tasty." Natsu said. He never took his eyes off it as he helped his sister set the table.

Wendy giggled shyly. "I hope it will be to your liking. Please save a piece for mother, though.

Grandine had gone out on business that day, so the siblings were alone. She didn't even have to prepare anything as Wendy was such a capable little housekeeper already.

As Wendy served Natsu, she poured a generous amount of Tabasco sauce over his curry rice, knowing how much the pinkette liked it. Natsu nodded at her in thanks and the meal began.

"So Natsu," Wendy cheerfully started the conversation. "Who have you been texting so much lately? N-not that you have to tell e, of course!" She added the last bit hastily, not wanting her older brother to be offended.

Natsu chuckled. "It's okay, Wens. Thoug I really don't know exactly, myself."

"Eh?"

Natsu shrugged, taking a bite of the roasted chicken. "I guess you can call her Star."

Wendy looked thoughtful. "Star? What a strange name! But it's quite….pretty."

"It ain't her real name," Natsu explained. "I suppose you could call it a nickname."

"So what's her real name?"

"Honestly? I have no idea."

XOXOXOXOXO

Lucy frowned at Natsu's strange message before replying.

 _StarlightSpirit:_

 _Your cat's name is Happy?_

A message came almost immediately.

 _DragonSlayer:_

 _Anythin' wrong with that?_

 _StarlightSpirit:_

 _Nothing…..it's just kinda…..weird._

 _DragonSlayer_ didn't reply. Lucy stared at the screen of her iPhone before putting it away.

' _Is he offended or something…?'_

Lucy blinked at her thoughts.

' _Ugh! Why the heck am I getting so worried about this?! It's just a random person on the Internet!'_

Nodding solemnly to herself, Lucy filled a bowl with stew and sat down to eat. Once she had finished, she felt strangely tired and crawled into bed.

"My legs are hurting like crazy…." She muttered these words to herself before passing into a deep sleep.

XOXOXOXOXO

Lucy blinked blearily as she awakened. How long had she slept? What was the time? Why was it so dark?

Reaching for her phone, Lucy put it on and uttered a low cry. It was 6:30 PM!

"How'd I manage to sleep for so long?" Lucy asked herself, annoyed that she had wasted 5-6 hours so easily.

Suddenly, her phone rang, startling her. Lucy picked it up. It was an unknown number. Swiping the screen, she put it to her ear.

"Hello?"

" _Yo, Star!"_

Lucy blinked. Twice.

Star?

Realization dawned upon her.

" _DRAGONSLAYER?!"_


	5. Their First Conversation

**Chapter-4**

 **Their First Conversation**

" _DRAGONSLAYER?!"_

" _Ouch! Don't shout so loudly, Star! Are you trying to make me deaf?!"_

Lucy listened with disbelief at _DragonSlayer_ 's casual talk, as if they'd been friends all their lives. And they didn't even know each other's names!"

" _DragonSlayer,_ " she spoke with forced calm. "How and why on earth are you calling me?!"

" _The app, remember? It gives our phone numbers away. And I was bored, and so decided to call you."_

Lucy cursed inwardly. How could she have forgotten?

" _Star? You still there?"_

Lucy snapped out of her daze and answered quickly. "Er, yeah. Um, is there something you needed?"

" _Nah. I just wanted to chat."_

Lucy felt a little annoyed. "Couldn't we have done it by text?"

" _Yeah…."_ He replied. _"But I wanted to hear your voice."_

Lucy suddenly felt heat rush to her cheeks. She shook her head and scolded herself. _'Idiot! You haven't even met the guy!'_

" _How's your leg, anyway?"_

"Um, fine," Lucy said. "It's throbbing a bit and I'm feeling a little tired, but there's no reason as to why I should skip school tomorrow."

She heard _DragonSlayer_ let out a low whistle. _"You're honestly going to school tomorrow?"_

"Of course," Lucy began loftily. "After all, I'm the-"

She cut off, realizing that if she told him that she was the Student Council Vice-President, he'd figure out who she was pretty easily. They probably went to the same school, after all."

"-I'm in the Student Council," Lucy finished rather lamely. "Can't afford to miss anymore meetings….or paperwork."

" _Student Council, huh?"_ Lucy could almost see him grinning. _"Now, why am I not surprised?"_

"Oh, shut up," Lucy huffed. "There's nothing wrong with having a little responsibility on your shoulders."

" _That's not what I meant. I meant, that you sound like the studious type."_

Lucy bristled. "There's nothing wrong with that, either. And what's the difference, anyway?"

" _There's plenty of difference."_

"There is so not!"

They continued their bickering for what seemed like ages. When Lucy finally hung up, she was surprised to find that it was 8:00 PM already.

"Time sure flies while you're having fun," she muttered. Reluctantly getting up, Lucy shuffled over to the kitchen to fix herself dinner."

XOXOXOXOXOXO

"Natsu! Dinner's ready!"

"Coming!"

Natsu dashed downstairs to the dining room where Grandine was setting out dinner for them with Wendy's help, unsurprisingly. Natsu ruffled his sister's hair before sitting down.

"So, what were you doing, Natsu?" Grandine asked as she sat down herself.

"Talking to a friend," Natsu managed between mouthfuls?"

"Oh?" Grandine's brown eyes sparkled. "Would that 'friend' happen to be a girl by any chance?"

Wendy giggled.

Natsu blinked obliviously. "Yeah, how'd you guess?"

Grandine shook her head in despair. "You, my dear son, are hopeless."

Natsu looked at Wendy inquiringly. The latter simply laughed harder.

"Weird." Natsu muttered as he downed a spoonful of stew

 **(A/N): Okay, I am, so, so, SO sorry that this is so late and short. I had finals, writer's block and other things. I AM SO SORRY!**

 **Reviews:**

 **Anonymous Person:** **Yes, it does, doesn't it? Thanks for reviewing!**

 **Guest** **: Here's your update!**

 **Animallover:** **Well, the app works in such a way that you need to enter both your phone number and email ID while registering and choose to keep them a secret or not. Obviously, Lucy and Natsu didn't. So the information is given out to anybody who can access their accounts and that's how Natsu got a hold of it. The questions are not stupid, I don't mind at all. Thanks a lot for reviewing!**

 **0FairyTail0:** **It's because the app gives out a person's phone number and email ID if they wish to do so~**

 **Thanks a lot, guys!**


	6. Back To School (Part-1)

**Chapter-6**

 **Back To School (Part-1)**

 **(A/N): Thank you,** **Mia Anime** **for your excellent suggestion that I used in today's chapter!**

"You're not serious, are you Erza?"

"I'm perfectly serious."

"It's my first day back!"

"This task is very simple."

"I'm recovering from a broken leg!"

"You won't have to do anything strenuous for this."

"Erza!"

"Yes?"

"I'm not good at doling out punishments! You know that!"

"It'll be good experience for you. You are the Student Council Vice-President after all, you know."

"Ugh….."

Lucy groaned and slumped against her desk in the Student Council Office. Levy, who was the Secretary, looked up from her work and spoke in what she hoped was a reassuring voice. "Come now Lucy, it can't be _that_ hard!"

"Yes, it will," Lucy muttered. "And Erza, you're friends with this 'Natsu Dragneel' so why can't you take care of him?"

"I get tired of it," Erza said evasively. "I always have to deal with his shenanigans, so it's your turn. Lucy, do it. That's an order."

"Alright, President," Lucy mocked. She pulled out a sheet of paper and wrote out Dragneel's punishment in her cursive handwriting before folding it up and handing the slip to Levy. "Here, make sure he gets it."

"What's the punishment?" Levy asked curiously.

"Two weeks of detention," Lucy said blandly before glancing at the clock. "C'mon, were going to be late for class."

Erza and Levy shared a look before following her out of the office. Both of them had similar thoughts.

 _And she says she's not good at handing out punishments. Huh._

XOXOXOXOXOXO

Natsu stared at Levy, his mouth hanging open. "You're kidding."

"I kid you not."Levy stated, an amused smile tugging at her lips.

"Th-This is ridiculous!" Natsu waved the detention slip in Levy's face. " _Two weeks?_ For beating up that Ice-Princess?! I want to meet this Vice-President of yours!"

Levy rolled her eyes. "You don't even know her name, do you? Anyway, she's as stubborn as a rock and Erza won't let her take back the punishment. So, stick with it."

She gave him a sympathetic smile as she turned to go to class.

Natsu went into his English Class with a groan and slumped down at a desk next to Lisanna, who raised an eyebrow in surprise at him. "Why so gloomy, Natsu?"

Natsu thrust the detention slip at her in response.

Lisanna ran her eyes over it and giggled. "Oh, my. Lucy is quite strict, isn't she?"

Natsu gave her a look.

Lisanna winced. "Okay, very strict. Doesn't hold a candle to Erza, though."

"Are you crazy?" Natsu demanded. "Even Erza wouldn't set me two weeks of detention!"

"Maybe," Lisanna shrugged. "But she'd go full Demon Queen mode on you. Which is better, Angry Erza or Two Week Detention?"

"…on second thoughts, I think I'll take the detention."

"I thought so," Lisanna said with a smug smile and turned her attention to the professor as he began the lesson.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXO

"So you finally finished your novel, huh?" Gray Fullbuster asked Lucy. Lucy, Levy, Erza and he were sitting at a table in the cafeteria during lunch time together and were eating. "When do we get to read it?"

"You'll only read it if it gets published," Lucy said flatly. "Which it may not even be."

"Please, they're totally going to accept it," Levy said dismissively. "I mean, it's awesome! They'd be crazy not to!"

"Thank you, Levy," Lucy said gratefully. "But I'd best not to count my chickens before they hatch, all the same."

"That would be wise," Erza nodded in agreement. "It is best not to get ahead of yourself."

"What she said," Gray agreed.

"Mm," Lucy murmured absently as she picked up her empty tray and went to dispose of it.

Gray looked at Levy. "Is it just me, or does Lucy seem rather out of it?"

"Other than the fact that she's muttering formulas under her breath?" Levy asked airily. "Yes."

Gray blinked. "Is she really?"

Erza shook her head in exasperation. "Honestly, how dense are you?"

"I resent that!" Gray protested. "And why would she want to mutter formulas under her breath, anyway?"

"To memorize them, why else?" Levy said in a matter-of-fact tone. "She's missed out on a lot, and like Erza, she has this tendency to want to be perfect in every single thing."

Erza looked as if she wasn't sure whether to feel insulted or flattered.

"Well, what I meant was," Gray began. "She's been checking her phone for messages a lot lately. Care to explain?"

Levy tried to look as innocent as possible. "Really? I should ask her about it then….."

"You know something, don't you?" Erza asked flatly.

"Maybe I do, maybe I don't," Levy said defensively. "Lu will skewer me anyway, if I let out her secrets."

Before Erza could reply, Lucy came back. "Guys? There's only five more minutes until the break's over."

"I'm ready to go, Lu!" Levy stood up thankfully. "We have Chemistry next, right? Let's go, then!"

She grabbed Lucy's hand and dragged her away, leaving Gray and Erza to glare at their retreating forms helplessly.

 **(A/N): Thank you all for the reviews!**

 **Taboadayvonne:** **Here's your update!**

 **Soapywaters13:** **Thank you so much!**

 **Mia Anime:** **That was an awesome suggestion, thank you so much! I loved using it!**

 **Ghost Lucy:** **Welcome! And thanks for reviewing!**


	7. Back To School (Part-2)

**Chapter-7**

 **Back To School (Part-2)**

Natsu was walking to his gym class when he caught sight of _her._ Blonde hair, brown eyes and a tell tale badge that gave away the fact that she was the Vice-President of the Student Council.

He reached out and grabbed her hand. Lucy Heartfilia stopped and turned to face him, surveying him appraisingly.

"Natsu Dragneel, right?" She asked him coolly.

"Yeah," Natsu let go of her hand and took a step back. "I want to talk about that punishment of yours," he pouted slightly. "Isn't two weeks a little too harsh? Can't you, y'know, cut it down a bit?"

Lucy looked a little embarrassed. "Well, now that I think about it, it really _was_ a little harsh…..but Erza would never let me make any alterations to it, so I'm sorry."

"Oh, c'mon," Natsu scowled. "Isn't there something you could do?"

"Sorry, nothing," Lucy apologized. "Erza is in charge of all of this, you know. And since the two of you are friends, I'm sure you know of what a tight ship she runs."

"Yeah…" Natsu muttered. "Well, see ya around, Lucy."

"Goodbye," Lucy inclined her head slightly before taking off to her next class.

Natsu watched her for a minute before proceeding to gym.

And that was how Lucy Heartfilia and Natsu Dragneel met.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXO

 _StarlightSpirit:_

 _Gosh, I am SO tired._

 _DragonSlayer:_

 _Yeah? From what?_

 _StarlightSpirit:_

 _Usual stuff, getting used to school again, catching up, student council duties, etc._

 _DragonSlayer:_

 _That's gotta be tough._

 _StarlightSpirit:_

 _Oh, you have no idea._

 _DragonSlayer:_

 _Are u still in school?_

 _StarlightSpirit:_

 _Yeah, I'm just checking out some books from the library, and then I leave._

 _DragonSlayer:_

 _Why am I not surprised?_

 _StarlightSpirit:_

 _Ha-ha, very funny. Anyway, I probably won't be able to text you once I get home because I'll be up to my elbows in homework. Then I'll collapse on my bed and sleep. So, good bye, for today._

 _DragonSlayer:_

 _Alright make sure u don't work too hard._

 _StarlightSpirit:_

 _Thanks, DragonSlayer._

 _DragonSlayer:_

 _No prob, Star._

Lucy smiled fondly at the message as she shut her apartment door behind her. She switched off the iPhone with a sigh and went to her desk.

"Time to get to work."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Finishing up with his Chemistry homework, Natsu sighed in relief and went downstairs to get a quick snack.

Wendy was in the kitchen, talking with hushed tones to someone on the phone. Upon seeing her brother, she hurriedly cut the call.

Natsu raised an eyebrow as he grabbed a packet of potato chips. "Who was that?"

Wendy blushed. "N-no one." She mumbled.

"You're horrible at lying, Wens," Natsu said flatly. With a swift motion he snatched the phone from Wendy, who yelped in surprise.

Natsu opened logs and blinked. "You were talking to Romeo? Why'd you hide it?"

Wendy turned crimson again. "N-no reason."

Natsu eyed her suspiciously. "The both of you wouldn't happen to be _dating_ , would you?"

Wendy wrung her hands nervously. "O-of course not!"

"You're too young, Wendy!" Natsu protested.

"I'm not!" Wendy argued. "And what are you interfering for, anyway?" she added in a subdued tone.

"Because I'm your brother!"

"So?"

"I'll be having a talk with Romeo."

"Natsu, no…!"

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

With a sigh of relief, Lucy collapsed on her bed and rubbed her aching fingers. Her eyelids were drooping already. But before she could drop off, she fished out her phone.

 _StarlightSpirit:_

 _Goodnight, DragonSlayer._

She only had to wait a moment before his reply arrived.

 _DragonSlayer:_

 _Goodnight, Star._

 **(A/N): Review responses:**

 **Klr14:** **OMG I'm blushing so hard! Thank you so much, Trina!**

 **0FairyTail0:** **So am I~**

 **Zoe the Fairy:** **Thank you!**


	8. Under The Cherry Blossom Trees

**Chapter 8**

 **Under The Cherry Blossom Trees**

 **(A/N): Credits go to** **SunflowerChrysalis** **for her suggestions that inspired me to write this chapter! Thank you so much!**

Lucy bit her lip as she tried to decide. She glanced at the clock. It was 6:30.

"Alright," she said aloud determinedly. "I'm going to do it. But he's better not think I'm in love with him or anything!"

Lucy had gotten up early. She was still feeling guilty over giving Natsu two weeks detention so she thought she's make him lunch every day for two weeks. The food in the cafeteria was pretty mediocre so Lucy figured that Natsu would be relieved to have a break from it.

Rolling up her sleeves and donning an apron, Lucy set to work making to lunch-boxes.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

"My, Lucy, your satchel looks pretty bulky today," Erza commented as Lucy sat down in the Student Council Office. "What are you carrying?"

"Oh, I brought lunch today," Lucy said evasively.

"You're not going to sit with us at the cafeteria?" Levy asked in disappointment.

Before Lucy could answer, Jellal Fernandes, the Student Council Treasurer entered. Greeting everyone quietly, he sat down at his assigned desk.

Erza suddenly seemed rather immersed in her paperwork.

"Sorry, Levy," Lucy said apologetically before pulling over a stack of paperwork to her. "By the way, how far did you get with typing up the novel?"

Levy's mood brightened. "Just a few chapters left."

"Really?! Thank you!"

XOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Natsu was ambling along to his first class of the day when a voice hailed him. "Natsu! Natsu, wait up!"

The pinkette turned to see Lucy running towards him. "Lucy?" He arched an eyebrow in surprise. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Lucy began. "But I was wondering if you'd like to eat lunch with me today."

"Eat lunch with you?"

Lucy nodded. "I was feeling bad about your detention, so I thought I'd make you lunch every day for two weeks. What d'you say?"

Natsu grinned. "Sure!"

"Great! I'll meet you under the cherry blossom trees at lunch time then, okay?"

"Deal! See you then!"

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

At lunch, Natsu and Lucy sat under the shade of the cherry-blossom trees. They were at the back of the school and the place was quite secluded. Students rarely came there, so it was quiet.

Lucy took the lunchboxes from her satchel, unwrapped them and handed one to Natsu who opened his eagerly. She didn't open her own, but watched him anxiously as he took the first bite.

"This is really delicious!" Natsu exclaimed after swallowing the first mouthful.

Lucy's eyes lit up as she smiled. "I'm glad."

This seemed to destroy any tension present between the two and Natsu talked enthusiastically while Lucy listened and laughed. There was not even a minute of silence for the two always had something to say and sometimes even spoke together, making them burst into laughter.

' _He reminds me of DragonSlayer,'_ Lucy thought with a quiet chuckle. Natsu blinked.

"What's up?"

"Oh, nothing," Lucy shook her head as she closed her lunchbox. "You just remind me someone, is all."

"Yeah?" Natsu closed his as well. "Strange, 'cause you remind me of someone, too."

"Really?" Lucy took both boxes and put them in her satchel. "What a coincidence."

Natsu nodded and stood up. "There's the bell. Let's go."

He held out his hand. Lucy took it and got up. "Thank you, Natsu."

Natsu shook his head with a grin. "Nah, I should be thanking you! That lunch was awesome!"

Lucy inclined her head slightly. "Why, thank you."

They realized that they were still holding hands and hurriedly pulled away.

"Um….so…." Natsu said intelligently.

"Class!" Lucy exclaimed, pointing to the school building.

Natsu nodded vigorously as if that was the cleverest thing he had heard all day.

"Right, let's go!"

 **(A/N): Thank you all for the reviews!**

 **Klr14:** **Thank you! Please continue to review!**

 **Thecomposcreator:** **They will soon~**

 **NanamiB:** **Thank you so much! And,even as odd as it sounds, I can't wait for that moment either. :D**

 **Yumerrika:** **I'm glad! And yes, I do have a schedule. I have a certain order in which I update my stories. I generally update this one the last because it is slightly more difficult to write than my other stories. Unlike those, I began this on a whim so I have a tough time writing chapters and preparing scenes. Hope that answers your question!**

 **15youngg:** **Thank you! And I will!**

 **SunflowerChrysalis:** To answer ALL of your reviews-THANK YOU SO MUCH! They mean so much to me and I was blushing and smiling like an idiot while reading them….! Please continue to review this story! And thank you for your awesome suggestions that inspired me to write this chapter!


	9. The Challenge

**Chapter 9**

 **The Challenge**

Lucy read over her Math homework for about the tenth time. Math was her weak spot and she was always anxious to do the best she could in that subject so that her grades wouldn't be affected.

She glanced at her watch. It was 6:00 PM already.

Just then her phone rang, making her jump. Lucy picked it up and looked at the caller ID. It was Erza.

"Hi, Erza!" She said cheerfully. "What's up?"

" _Lucy!"_ Erza's voice sounded strangely panicked. _"Jellal asked me out on a date!"_

"Really?!" Lucy squealed. "That's wonderful!"

" _Yes, but that's not the point!"_ Erza cried. _"I don't know what to wear!"_

"Where are you going?" Lucy asked calmly.

" _To the movies,"_ Erza answered.

"Wear something simple, then. Like that lavender blouse of yours and the black waistcoat. And if you have a white skirt, that would be great!"

" _Alright,"_ Erza muttered distractedly. _"How should I do my hair?"_

"How about a braid?" Lucy suggested. "You look really cute in those."

"Right, I think that'll do," Erza said in relief. "Thanks, Lucy. You're a real life-saver."

"No problem! Have fun on your date! And make sure to tell me if you kiss!"

Ignoring Erza's sputtering, Lucy cut the call. She was about to put away her phone when it rang again.

"Who on earth…." Lucy muttered, seeing an unknown number. She swiped the screen.

"Hello?"

" _Yo, Star!"_

" _DragonSlayer_? Why am I not surprised?"

" _Aw, don't be like that, Star! You know you love talking to me!"_

Lucy rolled her eyes. "Sure, whatever you say." She froze suddenly. _'Why does DragonSlayer's voice sound so familiar? It makes no sense!'_

" _Star, I propose a challenge."_

"Yeah?" Lucy raised an eyebrow. "What kind of challenge?"

" _Since we live in the same town, probably go to the same school-"_

" _DragonSlayer_ , there's only one school in Magnolia. It's a small town, remember?"

" _Yeah, yeah…anyway, how about we try to find out each other's identities without setting up a place to meet or anything like that? The first person to find out, wins."_

"Wins what?"

There was a pause before _DragonSlayer_ spoke. _"A free ice-cream everyday at the Fairy Tail café?"_

Lucy grinned.

"You're on."

" _Great!"_

"Mm…was this the _only_ reason you called?"Lucy didn't know why but she couldn't help but hope that there _was_ another reason.

" _I just felt like talkin' to ya, is all."_

Again, Lucy felt her heartbeat speed up and cursed inwardly. She didn't even know the guy! She couldn't go and fall in love with him!

" _Star?"_

"Oh…yeah…" Lucy replied distractedly. "Um, that's great…but really have to finish my homework now…."

Lucy cursed homework to the depths of hell.

" _Really…..? That's too bad…"_

Lucy chuckled. She could imagine _DragonSlayer_ pouting.

" _Alright then, we'll talk later, Star."_

"Right. Bye!"

Lucy hung up. She glanced at her messaging app longingly.

The stack of homework on her desk caught her eye. Grumbling under her breath, she kept her iPhone out of sight and grudgingly got to work.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

"Sooooo, Erza," Levy said teasing as she, Erza and Lucy walked to their first class together. "How was the date yesterday?"

Erza blushed as she answered. "It was fantastic."

Lucy clasped her hands. "Really? Was it romantic? It was, wasn't it?"

Erza nodded. "He bought me flowers. The movie was awesome. After that, he took me for a walk in the park before we went home."

Levy sighed dreamily. "I wish I had a boyfriend who'd do all of that for me….."

"J-Jellal isn't my boyfriend!"

Erza was ignored.

"Oh~?" Lucy asked wickedly. "Don't worry, I'm sure Gajeel will warm up to you soon enough~"

"I-I didn't say anything about that idiot!"

"Sure sure~"

"You've turned into Mira," Erza grumbled.

"Oh, don't worry," Lucy said with sparkling eyes. "Once Mira gets wind of this, she'll be even worse.

Erza's eyes widened. "Lucy Heartfilia, don't you dare….!"

Bursting into laughter, Lucy started to run as fast as she could, Erza following.As she rounded a corner, she bumped into someone hard, sending both of them flying to the ground.

"Ouch….."Lucy looked up to see Gray. "Sorry about that." She reached out to pick up the phone that he had dropped.

"No problem," Gray assured her.

But Lucy wasn't listening. She was staring at the screen. A composition box for a new message was open. Nothing was typed in the message, but….

It was addressed to _DragonSlayer_.

 **(A/N): A little cliffy for all of you~ Thanks again,** **SunflowerChrysalis** **for your suggestions.**

 **Review Responses:**

 **SunflowerChrysalis:** **Thank you so much! And you're welcome. Angst, huh? Definitely.**

 **Composcreator:** ***grins* Count on it.**

 **0FairyTail0:** **Thank you for the review!**

 **Artistofthemind;** **Yes, NaLu** _ **is**_ **adorable, isn't it?**

 **Zoe The Fairy:** **Thank you!**

 **Gio.M:** **Thank you! I hope you continue to read and enjoy!**

 **Yumerikka:** **Did I? Stupid spell-check. And thank you1 I'm sure** **SunflowerChrysalis** **would appreciate what you said~**

 **Guest:** **Nor can I~**

 **I can't believe the number of reviews I received! Thank you all so much!**


	10. Operation Reveal Identity

**Chapter 10**

 **Operation Reveal Identity**

"Gray, who is this _DragonSlayer?"_ Lucy asked nervously, handing his phone to him.

"Huh?" Gray glanced down at the message. "Oh, that's-"

Just then, the bell rang. Gray looked panicked.

"I need to go! See you at lunch!"

"No!" Lucy cried, feeling frustrated. "Wait! You just can't leave me like that!"

"Er, Lucy?" Levy tapped her blonde friend on the shoulder. "We need to get going too, you know."

"Right….." Lucy mumbled, feeling frustrated. She was so close!

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

"So, you wanted to talk to us?" Erza asked, resting her arms on the table in the library.

Lucy nodded. "Yes, I need your help regarding a small challenge."

Juvia Lockser, a good friend of Lucy's who was madly in love with Gray, tilted her head to one side. "A challenge?"

"That's right," Lucy lowered her voice. "You see, when I was in the hospital, this guy with the username _DragonSlayer_ texted me by accident. We started to talk to each other a lot."

Erza's eyes widened. "Lucy-"she began, but the blonde didn't hear.

"He recently proposed a challenge," Lucy continued. "That both of us should try and figure out each other's identities."

Erza tried to speak again. "Lucy, I think-"

"Anyway," Lucy said. "I found out today morning that Gray knows _DragonSlayer_ because he was texting him. But I wasn't able to find out anything else."

"So you want us to help you?" Levy asked.

Lucy nodded.

"Okay!" Levy declared. "Let Operation Reveal Identity start now!"

Erza sweatdropped at the ridiculous name. She tried to speak again but was interrupted.

"Alright! Juvia," Lucy turned to the blunette. "Do you think you can hang around Gray a bit and manage to get hold of his phone somehow?"

Juvia looked delighted. "Leave it to Juvia!" she declared and ran off to find Gray.

Lucy watched her go. Erza tried to interject again. "Lucy, really-"

"Right, Erza," Lucy turned to the Student Council President obliviously. "Think you can manipulate Jellal into hanging out with Gray's friends?"

"W-what?" Erza sputtered.

"Thanks, I knew I could count on you!" Lucy chirped. "Now, Levy, you can interrogate Gajeel about the boys that hang out with Gray."

Levy gaped at her. "Wait…..!"

Lucy smirked deviously. "Oh, come on, we both know you want to~"

"Lucy," Erza interrupted with a smirk of her own. "For you to be taking this so seriously, you must be _in love_ with _DragonSlayer_ or something."

The heat rushed to Lucy's cheeks. "N-no!"

"Then, why do you want to find out who he is so much?" Levy piped up.

Lucy crossed her arms. "Because I hate to lose!"

"Sure, sure~"

"Oh, _shut up!_ "

XOXOXOXOXOXOXO

 _DragonSlayer:_

 _So, have u figured out who I am yet?_

 _StarlightSpirit:_

 _Humph! I bet you haven't, either!_

Natsu smirked at his phone.

 _DragonSlayer:_

 _Well, you've already given me a hint which makes it much more easier to find you._

 _StarlightSpirit:_

 _Oh? And what's that?_

 _DragonSlayer:_

 _You told me you're a member of the Student Council._

 _StarlightSpirit:_

 _Darn it._

 _DragonSlayer:_

 _1 point to me, 0 points to you._

 _StarlightSpirit:_

 _That's going to change. Just you wait, DragonSlayer!_

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

"Natsu!" Lucy called as she saw the pinkette arrive at the cherry blossom trees. "Over here!"

Natsu grinned and jogged over to Lucy, plopping down beside her. "Yo! How's your day so far?"

Lucy groaned as he handed him a lunchbox. "Awful. My friends were teasing me nonstop about this guy I know. And we've just met! I am so going to make them suffer for this."

Natsu laughed, although he felt rather strange when he thought about Lucy with another guy. "Yeah, friends can be annoying that way. One of _my_ friends and her sister keep trying to pry into my non-existent love life."

"Ooh, big words," Lucy teased.

Natsu rolled his eyes. "Ha ha, very funny, Luce," he took a bite out of his sandwich. "Speaking of which, aren't you at the top of your class or something?"

Lucy shook her head. "No, Erza is. Levy and I tie for second, though. Why?"

"I was wondering if you could help me with my English essay," Natsu replied. "English isn't my best subject."

"Sure," Lucy shrugged. "Shall we meet in the library after classes?"

Natsu nodded. "Yeah, that'd be great! Thanks, Luce. You're a real life-saver!"

Lucy gave him a smile. "Don't worry about it."

Natsu quickly looked away, feeling his cheeks tinge pink. He sighed in relief when the bell rang. "C'mon, let's go."

Lucy hurriedly packed up everything and took Natsu's offered hand and stood.

"See you later!" she called before running off. Natsu waved and headed to gym.

 **(A/N): Thank you all for the response! And thank you again,** **SunflowerChrysalis!**

 **SingingAngel327:** ***speaks dramatically* Cliffies are the essence of life!**

 **0FairyTail0:** **Yup, they are~**

 **Uchida Akira:** **Thank you!**

 **SunflowerChrysalis:** **So am I! And I'm sure nobody expected it~ Things are truly going to get more interesting. Thank you for all the suggestions!**

 **Zoe the Fairy:** **I can't wait either~**

 **Klr14:** **Thank you!**

 **MeadowOfStars:** **OMG, no way. This story could never compare to any of hers. But I'm honored that you think so! Thank you!**


	11. Juvia's Plan

**Chapter-11**

 **Juvia's Plan**

"Gray-sama!" Juvia called Gray as he was walking to his Biology class.

"Yo, Juvia," Gray said nonchalantly. "Is there something you need?"

"Well," Juvia fiddled with the hem of her skirt. "Juvia was wondering if she could walk with Gray-sama to class since they both have Biology together…..is that alright, Gray-sama?"

Gray shrugged. "Sure, I guess."

Juvia beamed with delight and began to walk beside him. "So…Gray-sama…." Juvia began a hesitant attempt at conversation. "What plans does Gray-sama have for today evening?"

"I'm going to the arcade with some of the guys," Gray replied, failing to notice the gleam that appeared in Juvia's eyes at this news.

 _This is perfect!_ Juvia thought gleefully. _At the arcade, Juvia can execute her plan! And it will be perfect bonding time with Gray-sama!_

"Gray-sama!" Juvia said eagerly, catching his arm firmly in her grasp. "Can Juvia come too, with some of the girls? Can she, can she?"

Gray blushed at her close contact with him and looked away. "Yeah…sure….."

"Thank you, Gray-sama!" Juvia squealed, throwing her arms around him.

Gray tried to wiggle out of her hold and gasped for air. "Yeah…..you're…welcome….."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

"Juvia did it!" The blunette told Lucy, Levy and Erza proudly. "Tonight, Juvia, Erza, Lucy and Levy can go to the arcade and execute Juvia's plan!"

"Great!" Lucy cheered, giving Juvia a hug. "Good work, Juvia! Now, Erza," she turned to the red-head. "It's your turn."

"Right…." Erza mumbled, her cheeks stained with crimson. "Jellal should be in the Student Council office….."

The girls giggled as she ran away. Then, Lucy turned to Levy. "You know what you should do right?"

Levy nodded, blushing. "I should talk to Gajeel at the arcade and get some hints as to whom _DragonSlayer_ is."

"Yup," Lucy affirmed. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go to the library."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

"Sorry I'm late!" Lucy whisper-shouted to Natsu, who was already seated at a table in the library. "I was taking care of something."

"No problem," Natsu grinned at Lucy as she sat down in front of him. "Shall we start, then?"

Lucy nodded and pulled a sheaf of papers from her satchel. "Right."

The next half-hour was spent in silence which was only interrupted with the rustle of paper, scratching of pens and a few questions and answers and instructions. Lucy was pleased to note that Natsu caught on quickly and barely needed her help in anything after he got the general idea of things.

Natsu himself was surprised at how easy he found it with Lucy teaching him. _She really is good at English,_ he thought, sneaking a glance at the blonde sitting across him, her golden head bent over a textbook as she read and highlighted important points.

Before they knew it, Natsu was done with his paper and Lucy with her textbook.

"Thanks, Luce," Natsu said gratefully. "You helped out a lot."

Lucy waved him away. "Nonsense, you caught on real quick. But you're welcome, all the same."

She gave him one of her brilliant smiles and Natsu froze as he felt his stomach flip. Lucy however, oblivious to the conflict her smile had caused within Natsu said a quick good bye and left the library.

 _What the heck?!_ Natsu thought furiously as he shoved his books into his bag. _What's with that?!_

XOXOOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Lucy meanwhile, went home, changed out of her school uniform into casual clothes and pulled her hair into a loose ponytail. She finished off the rest of her homework.

Her phone's screen came to life as a message popped up. Lucy picked it up. It was from Juvia, telling her to arrive at the arcade by 6:00.

Lucy glanced at the time. It was 5:45 PM.

The blonde smirked as she tucked the phone into her pocket and made her way out.

It was finally time to go to the arcade.

 **(A/N): Review Responses-**

 **(Guest) cookie-panda-roo:** **Thank you! And yup, she does, but Lucy unfortunately didn't let her get a word in. Pity~**

 **SunflowerChrysalis:** **You're welcome! And yes, Natsu likes Lucy but Lucy likes** _ **DragonSlayer.**_ __ **Thanks again for all of your amazing suggestions!**

 **MeadowofStars:** **Thank you! And yup, she knows who** _ **DragonSlayer**_ **is since she's friend with Natsu but Lucy never lets her get a word in~ And thank you for being considerate, though it's my summer vacation now and I'll be able to update everyday if I like; the only thing that will stop me is writer's block.**

 **0FairyTail0:** **Patience, patience~**

 **Omgshamrockgtz:** **Yes, if only~ And thank you! It feels so heartwarming to think that people feel that reading my story is good way to start off the day.**

 **Thank you all for the reviews! Anyway, IMPORTANT NEWS! I'm going on vacation tomorrow to a hill station. I don't know if there'll be Internet or not. If there is, I'll be able to update every day. If there isn't, you'll have to wait for about 3 weeks for me to update again. I'm terribly sorry, and I hope that there is Internet so that I can update everyday as usual.**

 **And to those of you who read** _ **Fallen Star**_ **, one of my ongoing stories, I'm suffering writer's block right now, so I won't be able to update for some time. I'm so sorry!**

 **Until next time!**


	12. At The Arcade

**Chapter-12**

 **At The Arcade**

"Alright," Juvia whispered to Lucy, Levy and Erza. She glanced across at Gray and his friends who were busy playing games before speaking again. "Juvia will now go execute the plan. Erza, Levy and Lucy must wait here."

The girls nodded and Juvia skipped away to join Gray. Gray, who was busy watching Alzack, a friend of his expertly playing a shooting game, jumped when Juvia tapped him on the shoulder.

"Huh? What is it?"

Juvia put on a coy expression and fiddled with the hem of her skirt. "Juvia was wondering…..since Gray-sama does not have Juvia's number, maybe Juvia could put it into Gray-sama's phone?"

"Juvia is such a great actor!" Erza exclaimed, her eyes shining in admiration.

Lucy sweatdropped. "I'm not sure whether she's acting or not…."

"Sure, here," Gray distractedly gave Juvia his phone before turning his attention back to the game. Juvia winked at the girls once his back was turned.

Opening up the phone, Juvia went to the contacts, made one with her number and then scrolled down, looking for _DragonSlayer._ A cry of triumph left her lips when she found the number she was looking for. Her hands shaking in anticipation, Juvia opened up the contact and sent _DragonSlayer_ a message, telling him to come over to the arcade. That done, she deleted the sent message and handed the phone back to Gray; her face the picture of innocence.

Juvia ran back to girls, a wide smile on her face. "Juvia did it!" She whisper-shouted. "Gray-sama suspects nothing!"

"Great!" Levy said excitedly. "Let's go and wait by the entrance."

They went to the entrance and waited there, making sure they were properly hidden. Lucy was quivering with excitement. Just a few minutes now and she would finally find out who _DragonSlayer_ was!

They only had to wait a few minutes before the doors flew open. Each girl froze, their eyes locked upon the entrance.

Much to their intense disappointment, a group of boys trudged in. Levy's jaw dropped and Juvia groaned over the fact that her perfect plan was ruined. Lucy crushed a paper cup in her hand, furious. That idiot _DragonSlayer_! He just _had_ to go bring friends with him!

She glanced over at Erza who had taken out a notepad and pencil and was scribbling furiously. "What are you doing?"

"I'm taking down the names of these boys," Erza replied. "They're all from our year so I know who they are. Here." She gave Lucy the completed list. The other girls hung over her shoulder, trying to read it.

"Loke….Gajeel….Jellal…." Lucy grinned at Erza, who blushed. "I see you accomplished your task. Hm…..Natsu…Elfman…..Jet…Droy….."

"Well, this is definitely going to make things easier," Levy said thoughtfully. "The list had come down to seven people. You can cross Gajeel off, though," she added as if an afterthought. " _DragonSlayer_ isn't his username."

Before Lucy and Juvia could tease Levy, Erza cut in. "Cross off Jellal as well. That…..isn't….his…..username…." she finished weakly as the others gave her evil smiles.

Lucy took the pencil and crossed off the two names. "Okaaay…anything else?"

"Jet and Droy can be crossed off as well," Levy said.

Lucy nodded and crossed them off.

Juvia glanced at the remaining candidates and sweatdropped. "Somehow, Juvia really can't see Elfman being _DragonSlayer_ …..if he was, Lucy would know immediately."

Lucy laughed as she crossed Elfman off. "Yes, you're right. Well…that leaves Loke and Natsu."

"Lucy-" Erza began but was interrupted.

"I wonder if it could be Loke," Lucy mused. "Hey, girls, do you know if Loke knows Lisanna?"

Levy giggled. "Lucy, Loke knows every girl in Magnolia. Lisanna included."

"True," Lucy muttered. _And he does have the ability to charm,_ the blonde reminded herself with a blush. "And I really don't see Natsu as the type to hang out with girls…..he seems pretty dense."

"Lucy, really-" Erza began but Juvia cut in.

"Gray-sama will be wondering where Juvia is, so Juvia will go join him now," Juvia said importantly. "And Juvia thinks that we should continue this discussion somewhere less crowded. How about school tomorrow?"

And just like that, she was gone, without waiting for an answer.

"She's got a point, you know," Levy said seriously. "The real _DragonSlayer_ could be listening to our conversation and will find out you are _StarlightSpirit_ without him having to do any thinking. How about in the library tomorrow, at lunch?"

Erza shrugged. "Sounds good to me."

"Right," Lucy said. "Let's go then."

As they walked home, Lucy surveyed the list. _So…Loke or Natsu, huh? I wonder who it is….._


	13. Investigating

**Chapter-13**

 **Investigating**

"Alright," Natsu muttered. "We know that _StarlightSpirit_ is in the Student Council. So we need a list of all the girls in the Student Council. Ya got that, Gray?"

"How did I get roped into helping you….?" Gray grumbled under his breath as he started a list. He knew quite well who _StarlightSpirit_ was, but he didn't dare to tell Natsu in case Lucy found out. Lucy hated to lose and would undoubtedly be furious with him. So all Gray did was point Natsu in the right direction.

"Don't forget I'm going to give your cousin Ultear information on your love life if you don't help me," Natsu said smugly.

"Non-existent love-life, you mean." Gray retorted.

"Whatever."

Silence reigned for a few minutes as Gray worked on the list. Having three friends in the Student Council really helped, he mused as he wrote down the last name and tossed the list to Natsu. "Here. All done."

Natsu took it and ran his eyes over the names. "Erza Scarlet….Levy McGarden…Lucy Heartfilia…." Natsu paused slightly at her name, feeling his heartbeat speed up slightly before continuing. "Lisanna Strauss….Evergreen…..Laki Olietta … Yukino Aguria….Kagura Mikazuchi…..Meredy…. and Ultear Milkovich."

"Right," Gray said, bored. "Let's start eliminating then. You can cross out Erza, Levy and Lisanna, I suppose. "

"Okay," Natsu said before scratching out the names messily. "Who's this Laki? You know her?"

Gray shook his head. "Vaguely. Leave her on the list, she may turn out to be _StarlightSpirit_."

"Alright. I have no idea who this Yukino, Kagura and Meredy are. What 'bout you?"

Gray glanced at the names. "I don't know who Yukino is. Kagura is a friend of Erza's but we've never been acquainted. Meredy's very close to Ultear but the girl keeps changing her username so often; I don't bother keeping track of it anymore."

Natsu shook his head in defeat. "I guess those three stay on. And Ultear is obviously out."

"Obviously," Gray said absently.

Natsu looked at the list. "So we have Laki, Yukino, Kagura, Lucy and Meredy left. Seems like a wild goose chase to me."

Gray glared at him. "You go any other plans, you moron?"

"What'd you call me, ya ice-headed punk?!"

The list and the challenge were forgotten as Gray and Natsu got themselves into yet _another_ fight.

 **(A/N): I'm so sorry about the short chapter! I wrote up this chapter yesterday, but I lost it and I had to begin all over again so I was obviously frustrated. And I really couldn't write anything more. I promise I'll get up a new chapter soon!**

 **SunflowerChrysalis:** **Thank you! Yes, they're going to find out soon~and Juvia** _ **was**_ **good, wasn't she? My queen~**

 **MeadowOfStars:** **Thank you! And yes, I just got the internet today.**

 **Nanami B:** **Yes, if only~**

 **0FairyTail0:** **Yes, Loke could never be~ But Lucy's just grasping at leads now, so she's not thinking quite clearly.**

 **Uchida Akira:** **Thanks for reviewing! Stay tuned for the next chapters!**

 **Clawd137:** **Aw, thank you! And one order of NaLu feels, coming right up~**

 **SingingAngel327:** **Yes, indeed!**

 **The Composceator:** **We'll see~**


	14. Operation Reveal Identity-Complete!

**Chapter-14**

 **Operation Reveal Identity-Complete!**

"Say, Lucy," Natsu turned to his blonde companion.

"Hm?" Lucy looked up from her lunch.

Natsu ran a hand through his hair and looked to one side, flushing slightly. "Um…what do girls err, like?"

"Eh?" Lucy blinked in surprise and then smiled slyly. "Oh you've got a crush, don't you?"

Natsu turned crimson and glared at her. "Answer the question!"

Lucy leaned back. "Well….mostly flowers and chocolates and that sort of thing, I guess. If you really want to splurge, you could buy a necklace or a bracelet or something."

"Right," Natsu nodded.

"So, who is she? Do I know her?"

"None of your business!"

XOXOXOXOXXOXOXO

 _StarlightSpirit:_

 _So, have you figured out who I am, yet?_

 _DragonSlayer:_

 _Actually, I've got a list of girls who might be you._

 _StarlightSpirit:_

 _Really? Well, as a matter of fact, I've eliminated the list down to two possible candidates._

Natsu's eyes widened and he typed hastily.

 _DragonSlayer:_

 _No way!_

 _StarlightSpirit:_

 _You'd better believe it!_

 _DragonSlayer:_

 _But that's just impossible! How'd you do it so quickly?!_

 _StarlightSpirit:_

 _I have my ways._

 _DragonSlayer:_

 _And what ways are those, exactly?_

 _StarlightSpirit:_

 _Now, that would be telling, wouldn't it?_

 _DragonSlayer:_

 _Darn. I'd better work faster._

 _StarlightSpirit:_

 _The problem is, DragonSlayer, you're competing against a woman. Females are known to be extremely cunning and devious and I used all of those traits to my advantage._

 _DragonSlayer:_

 _Humph._

 _StarlightSpirit:_

 _Well, I've got to go! Bye!_

Natsu glared at his phone. This was getting to close for his liking. He'd have to work faster.

But the question was how did _StarlightSpirit_ eliminate the list so quickly, or make one, for that matter, when he clearly had the upper hand because he knew that she was in the Student Council?

Lucy's gift had to wait. For now, finding out Star's identity was top priority.

XOXOXOXOXXOXOXO

"So he hasn't gotten as far as we have?" Levy asked eagerly. "That's great!"

"Isn't it?" Lucy asked cheerfully. "Now all I have to do is find Loke, get his contact details and _DragonSlayer's_ identity will be revealed."

"Good luck finding Loke," Erza said dryly. "He's always surrounded by his fan club, so speaking to him won't be an easy task. Those girls will probably try to claw your head off."

"Don't you worry!" Lucy was too much in high spirits to be disheartened by Erza's pessimistic behavior. "Where there's a will, there's a way! I'll start looking after lunch."

"Juvia must thank Lucy for asking her to help with this," Juvia said dreamily, clasping her hands. "Operation Reveal Identity has brought Gray-sama and Juvia together! Gray-sama has agreed to take Juvia to the movies on Saturday!"

"That's amazing!" Levy squealed.

Lucy nodded with a laugh. "Perhaps now, you won't accuse me of 'stealing Gray'."

Juvia shook her head seriously. "Oh, no. Juvia wouldn't dream of doing it now because Lucy is obviously infatuated with _DragonSlayer._ "

Lucy blushed furiously. "Y-you've got it all wrong, Juvia!" she protested.

"Really?" Erza asked slyly. "Care to explain why you're blushing, then?"

Lucy crossed her arms and tossed her golden head. "I have no obligation whatsoever to answer that question!"

"Sure, sure~"

"Stop it!"

XOXOXOXOXXOXOXO

"Loke!" Lucy called, waving to the student in question, who was surrounded by a group of his fan girls. "Over here!"

Loke moved swiftly and was suddenly in front of Lucy, holding her hands. The blonde blinked. _What the heck? I was quite sure I had my hands safely tucked away behind me!_

"What is it, my love?" Loke asked flirtatiously. "What may I do for you?"

"Loke!" The fan girls screamed in unison. "Who is she?!"

"Sorry, ladies!" Loke inclined his head towards them. "I have to go now!"

"Wha-"

Before Lucy knew it, Loke had whisked her off to a safer part of the grounds. "Now, my love," he said suavely. "How can I help you?"

Lucy gently pulled away. "Well," she said. "I was thinking….we keep talking a lot but we've never actually exchanged contacts. How about we do it?"

"Of course!" Loke tossed her his phone and Lucy gave him hers.

With trembling fingers, Lucy entered her contact details and handed the phone to him. Loke handed hers back.

One look at the contact details told her all she needed to know.

Loke wasn't _DragonSlayer_. Natsu was.

 **(A/N): Thank you all for the support! Keep reviewing! Thank you** **SunflowerChrysalis** **for all your ideas, as usual!**

 **(Guest) IrrelevantGirlie:** **Sorry about that! I hope this made up for it!**

 **Guest:** **Thank you so much!**

 **NaluNom:** **Nope, it wouldn't do for Gray to become a double agent~**

 **Zoe the Fairy:** **Here's your chapter!**

 **MeadowofStars:** **Thank you so much! I'm glad you see it that way.**

 **0FairyTail0:** **Don't worry, it won't!**

 **The Composcreator:** **Thank you for the review!**

 **SunflowerChrysalis: Yes, he is~**


	15. To Face Him

**Chapter-15**

 **To Face Him**

Lucy somehow got away from Loke's flirtations and numbly walked towards the gates of the school where Erza, Levy and Juvia were waiting for her. Her mind was whirling.

So Natsu was _DragonSlayer_. So what? Natsu was a nice, fun interesting guy…now that she came to think about it, Lucy should've really noticed it sooner. Yeah, Natsu was nice. Yeah….

And _God, she was in love with him_.

Lucy's hand moved towards the phone in her pocket, to call Natsu and tell him that she knew who he was when a memory of what he had said earlier made her freeze.

" _Um…what do girls like?"_

Lucy came to a halt. Natsu liked someone. Someone that certainly wasn't her.

She couldn't do this. She couldn't call him.

The blonde arrived at the school gates. Her friends hailed her excitedly and ran over.

"So?" Levy demanded. "Who is it?"

"Natsu." Lucy replied dully.

Juvia clasped her hands in glee. "Did Lucy-san call him yet?"

"No…." Lucy brushed past her friends. "Listen guys, I've got to go…."

The trio watched her walk away in surprise. "What is wrong?" Juvia mused. "Juvia thought that Lucy would be happy to win the challenge…."

Levy glanced at Erza. "Hey, why are you so-" she cut off and gasped as a thought occurred to her. "ERZA!" she shrieked. "YOU KNEW WHO _DRAGONSLAYER_ WAS! YOU KNEW NATSU, SO YOU WOULD'VE KNOWN THAT! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU NEVER TOLD US!"

"Calm down!" Erza snapped. "I tried to tell Lucy tons of times, but you guys would never let me get a word in!"

"Yeah, I'm sure…"

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Lucy collapsed on her bed and stared at her iPhone as the screen lit up. She yearned to reach out and open up the message, which was from _DragonSlayer_ , but she resisted.

Instead, she tossed the phone away from her and cried herself to sleep.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Three days passed.

Three whole days.

Natsu was freaking out. He had probably sent Star a hundred texts by now, but she wasn't responding. And to make matters worse, Lucy hadn't shown up at school for the past days. As luck would have it, he didn't know her address so he wasn't able to visit her at all.

Natsu was desperate to find _StarlightSpirit_ now. He was extremely worried over the fact that something may have happened to her. Or that she simply got tired of talking to him.

The pinkette groaned as he looked at list of the possible candidates for _StarlightSpirit._ He wasn't getting anywhere with this.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Lucy sighed as she packed her satchel for school. She really couldn't avoid it any longer. She'd just have to be careful and not run into Natsu.

Over the last three days, Lucy had been bombarded with desperate texts from _DragonSlayer,_ or rather, Natsu. She hadn't opened any of them, but couldn't find the heart to delete anything or block his number.

To think that Natsu liked someone else struck a painful chord in her heart. She wished that she just had the courage to face him, but she didn't. That was the sad truth.

Lucy had ended up spilling everything to her friends when they demanded to know why she was acting so strangely. All of them had been furious and Lucy could barely restrain them from going all out and killing Natsu.

The blonde blinked back tears that threatened to escape her eyes.

She wanted to talk to Natsu so badly. But she couldn't….she just _couldn't_ face him.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

The next day, Natsu sat at the cafeteria, grimacing at the mediocre food. He really missed Lucy's homemade cooking.

Just then, a certain silver haired, blue eyed friend of his passed, giving him a wave. Natsu waved back disinterestedly when it hit him.

Of course! How could he have been so stupid!

 _She_ held all the answers he needed.

Natsu sprang up from his chair and ran after her.

 **(A/N): Review Responses:**

 **0FairyTail0:** **He will, though, soon~**

 **Goldenfireflower:** **Aw, thank you! I'm so glad you like it!**

 **SunflowerChrysalis:** **Thanks! It's nice working with you, too~ and of course you sense angst, you helped me plan it, remember~?**

 **BigmadOnline:** **Well…you know us writers. We're addicted to cliffhangers-when we're the ones writing them.**

 **Uchida Akira:** **Thank you!**

 **Missbehavin:** **Yes, indeed~**

 **GhostLucy:** **You'll see~**

 **SingingAngel327:** **Coming up in the next few chapters!**

 **MeadowofStars:** **Thank you! Please continue to review!**

 **Phiafairy:** **She did, indeed~**

 **(Guest)Omgshamrockgtz:** **He so cute, isn't he? *squeezes Natsu plushie***

 **Guest:** **Thank you for reviewing!**


	16. Impossible

**Chapter-16**

 **Impossible**

It was lunch break. Lucy sat in the library, finishing up all the school work she had missed during her absence. As she put her pen down, her thoughts wandered to Natsu.

' _Now that I come to think of it, isn't his two-week detention going to end tomorrow?'_ she thought silently. Her hand wandered to her satchel, where she had packed and kept two lunch boxes out of habit.

' _Maybe I can go see him?'_ Lucy wondered, resting her head on the table. _'I mean…we could still be friends, right? And I can't keep avoiding him forever…we're bound to run into each other sometime or later.'_

Her eyes became downcast. _'Though it would be hard, since he likes someone else. What if I can't keep my feelings for him hidden? It's bound to be awkward… But maybe if I acted casual…..as if nothing's wrong…..then it'd be okay, right? I mean, what could it hurt? Maybe we could just try and be friends.'_

Making up her mind, Lucy stood and made her way out of the library. She felt extremely nervous as she headed outside, to the cherry blossom trees. What if Natsu wasn't there? Or worse…..what if he didn't want to be friends anymore, because she was avoiding him?

It didn't take her long to reach the area. Lucy's heartbeat sped up when she heard Natsu's voice. Quietly, she hid behind a tree and listened.

"That's great, Lisanna! Thanks a lot!"

 _Lisanna?_ Lucy slowly came out from behind the tree. Almost instantly, tears sprung to her eyes and the lunch boxes slipped from her hands and crashed to the ground.

Natsu and Lisanna were under the shade of the cherry blossom trees. More importantly, they were hugging. Or rather, Natsu was hugging Lisanna.

The duo turned when they heard the sound of the lunch boxes falling and their eyes widened when they saw Lucy.

A choked sob escaped Lucy's lips. Forgetting about the boxes, she turned and began to run. She only remembered that she had to get out of there, away from them.

"Lucy!" Natsu shouted, but the blonde in question ignored him and ran faster.

Lucy didn't stop running until she had reached the Student Council Office and had locked herself in it. The room was empty, save for Jellal, who looked up in surprise when she entered.

Lucy was sure she looked a mess, with tearstains on her cheeks and she was pretty much out of breath from running. She didn't care about any of that, however, and instead, threw herself into her chair and buried her head in her arms on the table and sobbed.

Jellal hesitantly got up and went over to her. "Lucy?" He asked awkwardly. "What's wrong?"

Lucy only responded by crying harder. Jellal slowly patted her on the back, offering her what little comfort he could.

The blonde eventually calmed down slightly and sat up. Taking the tissue Jellal offered her, she wiped at the tears on her cheeks.

' _I was wrong…..'_ Lucy thought in a kind of calm despair. _'We could never be just friends….it was impossible…I have to avoid him completely now."_

 **(A/N): Jellal-Lucy brotp? Jellal-Lucy brotp! Review, everyone!**

 **The Composcreator:** **Um…..sorry…..?**

 **Yumerikka:** **How'd you guess? :D And I certainly won't-I love Lisanna too much for that.**

 **SingingAngel327:** **Well…..it was necessary? Don't owrry, everything will turn out okay~**

 **MeadowofStars:** **You're such a mind reader~ Thank you!**

 **Guest:** **Well, it's quite fun to torture my readers. *grins impishly and then ducks as pitchforks are thrown at her* Oi, stop that!**

 **0FairyTail0:** **Yes, it will~**

 **SunflowerChrysalis:** **Thank you~! And you know as well as I do that things are NOT going to be fixed so soon~ The readers will just have to wait and see!**

 **Zoe the Fairy:** Thank you!

 **Uchida Akira:** **Yes, I sure do! Thank you so much!**


	17. Misunderstandings

**Chapter-17**

 **Misunderstandings**

"Natsu!" Lisanna yelled as the pinkette dragged her off to the cherry blossom trees. "Where are you taking me?!"

"Some place where we can't be heard," Natsu responded, slowing down as they finally arrived. "Listen, I need your help."

Lisanna stepped back and crossed her arms. "With what, exactly?"

Natsu explained the situation with _StarlightSpirit_ in a few words. "So," he finished eagerly. "Do you know who Star is?"

Lisanna shook her head in exasperation. "Honestly, why didn't you come to me earlier? It's Lucy, Lucy Heartfilia. The one who gave you a two-week detention?"

"It's Luce?" Natsu asked with wide eyes. His face broke out into a grin. "That's great, Lisanna! Thanks a lot!"

Before Lisanna could respond, he caught her in a bear hug. Lisanna looked annoyed and was about to admonish him, but they froze when they heard something crash to the ground.

Natsu let go of Lisanna and turned to see Lucy standing a few feet away from them, looking stricken. She suddenly gave a sob and ran away.

"Lucy!" Natsu shouted and made to go after her, but Lisanna stopped him. "What?"

"Don't," Lisanna said seriously. "She needs some time by herself-plus, she would've probably gone to the Student Council Office. Only the members with high positions are allowed inside."

"I'll find Erza, then," Natsu said shortly, before taking off."

"Hey! Wait for me!"

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

"Ice-head!" Natsu shouted as he ran into the cafeteria and spotted Gray. "Where's Erza?!"

Gray responded by walking up and punching him in the face. "You idiot," he hissed. "You're going to pay for playing around with Lucy's feelings like that."

"Gray, stop!" Lisanna called. "It's a misunderstanding! We really need to find Erza!"

Gray looked at her and then sighed. "She's in the Student Council Office. But Lucy's there, so this idiot-" he jerked his head at a fuming Natsu- "Shouldn't go anywhere near her."

"Now listen-" Natsu snarled, but was interrupted as Erza came walking over. "There you are! Where's Lucy?!"

Erza responded by hitting him upside the head.

"What the heck?!" Natsu demanded.

"No one toys around with Lucy's feelings and gets away with it," Erza glared at him. " _No one_."

"What on earth are you talking about?!" Natsu questioned. "I haven't been toying with _anybody_ 's feelings!"

"Liar!" Gray said angrily.

Levy entered the scene. "Calm down, everyone," she said and looked at Natsu. "Listen, Natsu. Lucy saw you hug Lisanna at the cherry blossom trees and thought you were together. She was hurt and confused and that's why she ran away. She probably doesn't want to even talk to you right now. Honestly," Levy shook her head. "You are _such_ a player."

"Hold the darn phone!" Natsu exploded, not caring that everyone in the cafeteria was staring at them now. "I've never dated anybody! I don't even like Lisanna that way! She's just a childhood friend, darn it!"

Lisanna nodded. "What he said."

"The only person I love is _Lucy_!" Natsu continued and then moaned. "Oh geez, she must've thought that Lisanna and I are together or something! Darn it!"

Everyone was stunned by Natsu's abrupt confession, but the pinkette didn't notice as he turned to his friends helplessly.

"What do I do?"

 **(A/N): Review Responses:**

 **0FairyTail0:** **It's be boring otherwise~**

 **SunflowerChrysalis:** **Really? And don't worry, it will. And yes, Jellal is such a good big brother~**

 **Phiafairy:** ***winces* Ouch.**

 **GuiltyPleasureX:** ***bows* Your wish is my command.**

 **MeadowofStars:** **Don't we all~? And, thank you!**


	18. Operation-Get Natsu and Lucy Together!

**Chapter-18**

 **Operation-Get Natsu And Lucy Together!**

After school, Natsu, Gray, Erza, Levy and Juvia all gathered in the empty Student Council Office. Lucy had already gone home.

"Alright," Gray said. "So this is what we'll do-" He cut off suddenly when Juvia linked their hands. "Er, what are you doing?"

Juvia blinked up at him innocently. "Juvia and Gray-sama are a couple now, right? This is what couples do, right?"

"What?!" Levy shrieked. "When did this happen?!"

Natsu's eye twitched. "Never mind them now! The plan, remember?"

"Ah, yes," Juvia picked up where Gray left off. "We shall now commence Operation-Get Natsu and Lucy Together!"

Erza sighed and shook her head. "Juvia, you are the queen of terrible names….."

"Alright," Gray cleared his throat to get everyone's attention. "This is what we'll do: We'll first reserve the restaurant, then…."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

"How are you feeling, Lucy?" Levy asked the blonde kindly as she tidied up Lucy's messy desk.

"Fine," Lucy said dully.

"Is there anything we can get for you?" Erza asked, her voice laced with concern.

"No, thank you," Lucy glanced at clock. "I guess I should start on dinner….."

"Oh, no!" Juvia jumped in. "Juvia heard of a great pizza place that has just been opened up! We should all go there! It will help Lucy get Natsu off her mind!"

Lucy looked uncertain. "I don't know….."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

"I didn't know reserving restaurants were so expensive," Gray grumbled as he laid a folded suit on Natsu's bed. "You'd better be grateful for this, ya moron."

Natsu flared up. "What'd you call me?!"

"Just shut up and put this on," Gray flung the suit at Natsu who caught it deftly.

~20 minutes later~

Gray nodded approvingly at Natsu. "Good, now let's go."

Natsu fiddled with his tie. "This thing is tight!" He complained.

Gray glared at him. "Hands off! Do you want this to work or not?!"

Grudgingly, Natsu let go of the tie and followed him out of the room. Then, a thought occurred to him.

"Ice-head, you forgot the candles."

"….darn."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

After a good deal of persuasion, Lucy stood up and faced the girls, trying to put on a cheerful face. "Okay, I'll go. I really need to get my mind off Natsu, anyway."

The girls cheered and high-fived each other.

"Great!"

 **(A/N): Review Responses:**

 **Zoe the Fairy:** **Everybody loves overprotective Erza and Gray~**

 **SunflowerChrysalis:** **Well, you'll see~ And thanks again for helping me!**

 **MeadowofStars:** **Thank you! And here's your chapter!**

 **0FairyTail0:** **Thanks for the review!**

 **Phiafairy:** **Here's the chapter!**

 **15youung:** **Thank you so much!**

 **OMGshamrock123:** **Yes, it isn't enough~**


	19. The Blind Date

**Chapter-19**

 **The Blind Date**

"Girls," Lucy said in an exasperated voice. "I don't see why you want me to _dress up_ for this. It's only a pizza place! Why do I have to be all formal?"

"Better safe than sorry," Levy said casually before stepping back. "There, all done. You look great!"

Lucy turned to the mirror. She was wearing a silk maroon, strapless gown that reached her ankles and black high heels. Juvia had styled her hair so that it was braided and coiled around her neck. Erza had provided a pair of earrings and a necklace while Levy applied light makeup to her face.

"This is really too extravagant!" Lucy protested.

"Nonsense!" Juvia said, pushing Lucy towards the door. "Lucy looks ravishing! Now go!"

Lucy raised an eyebrow. 'You want me to go by myself?"

"We'll catch up to you," Erza said authoritatively. "Now, get going."

Lucy huffed. "Alright, alright! Get off my back!"

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXXO

"I see you're all ready to go," Grandine said, eyeing her son appraisingly. "Don't mess up, alright?

Natsu pretended not to hear, and instead fiddled with his collar. "Ugh, this is so stuffy!"

"That's enough, Natsu!" Grandine scolded. "You have to impress that young lady and make up for your mistake!"

"Yes," Wendy agreed. "I've met Lucy once or twice and she seems really nice! Don't do anything stupid, okay, Natsu?"

Wendy was smiling sweetly but there was something dangerous about her expression that both Natsu and Gray acknowledged. Gulping, Natsu grabbed Gray's arm and dragged him out of the house as quickly as possible.

As they got going, Gray commented to Natsu, "I never knew your sister could be that scary…"

Natsu shivered slightly as he responded. "I never knew, either…."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXXO

Lucy arrived at the restaurant as per the directions that Levy had given her. _What the….?!_ The blonde thought in shock, gazing up at the expensive, fancy building. _There's no way this is a pizza place! Just what is going on?!_

Slowly, she went inside, fingering the material of her dress nervously. The inside was sparkling and looked as grand as the outside did. And….it was _empty_.

"What the heck?" Lucy asked aloud. "Surely there must be _some_ people here?"

She remembered that Erza had told her to choose the table right at the back. Accordingly, she did so.

It was a table for two.

Lucy raised an eyebrow. "A table for two? But…there are four of us here. Maybe she made a mistake?"

Her eyes slowly widened in realization. _Oh…they set me up for a blind date!_

"You've got to be kidding me!" Lucy muttered. She stood up, intending to leave.

There was no way she was going to be set up like this.

 **(A/N): Thank you all for the reviews! And credits to** **SunflowerChrysalis** **for all her suggestions!**

 **Review Responses:**

 **SunflowerChrysalsis:** **Thank you! And thanks again for all your wonderful ideas!**

 **The Composcreator:** **I'm sorry you think that way**

 **MeadowofStars;** **Aha, I have all the chapters ready and typed out so I can update quickly~ Thank you!**

 **Raniag:** **Here's your chapter~!**

 **Phiafairy:** **Coming up next chapter~**

 **SingingAngel327:** **He obviously would, because he talked to Erza and the rest of Lucy's friends, right?**

 **FallenPains1122** **: Aw, thank you!**

 **AngelsMoonLight:** **Thank you!**

 **JaiJaiPlays:** **Really?! I'm so glad!**

 **Guest:** **Thank you! Please continue reviewing!**


	20. Truth Revealed

**Chapter-20**

 **Truth Revealed**

Lucy stood up in annoyance, intending to leave. Just as she was about to, a pair of hands caught hold of her and pulled her down.

The blonde blinked and looked up to see Gray and Juvia dressed up in… _waiter and waitress uniforms_.

"Gray? Juvia? What's going on?"

Both of them left her suddenly and sank into the shadows just as the lights turned off. Lucy had to restrain herself from screaming in surprise. It was only then, that she realized that the tables were lit up with candles.

"What on earth….."

There was a flash of light in the front. Lucy looked at it, and saw that a big TV screen had come on. It flickered for a minute before images appeared on it.

Lucy's hands shot up to cover her mouth as tears rushed to her eyes.

They were screenshots of the phone conversations between here and Natsu. Or rather, _StarlightSpirit_ and _DragonSlayer_.

There were so many flashing across the screen. Lucy was amazed. Hadn't it been only a month? Did they really talk this much?

After what seemed like hours, the presentation came to an end. Lucy was blinking away tears just as her phone vibrated. She took it out of her hand bag.

 _DragonSlayer:_

 _I really don't know how to put my thoughts into words. I've never been good at that sort of thing. But please, listen to me, Luce. I never really knew who you were, or why I wanted to talk to you so much. I only knew that you were like your name, a shining star that simply captivated me (sort of). I saw some resemblance, but I never realized that you and the Lucy I knew, who made lunch for me every day were the same person. I don't know why you stopped talking to me, but I do know that I've messed up somewhere, real bad. Lucy? Will you give me another chance? Please?_

Lucy was so taken with the message that she barely noticed the slow romantic music that was being played by Levy and Gajeel, who had shown up on stage.

"Why can't I sing?" Gajeel hissed to Levy, who was playing on the keyboard.

"Because," Levy snapped. "It won't be romantic at all! Shut up and play!"

Grumbling, Gajeel resumed his position.

As the music played slowly in the background, Erza and Jellal entered the scene, the former holding strawberry cake, and the latter holding a pizza.

Lucy looked up from her phone, tears now freely flowing down her face, only to see Natsu enter, a toothy smile on his face and a bouquet of roses in his arms.

"Natsu," Lucy whispered.

The grin remained on Natsu's face as he waltzed up to her and handed her the bouquet.

"I'm so relieved to find out that you're _StarlightSpirit_! He blurted out. "I actually fell for ya in person…..so….." He trailed off.

Lucy got up and went over to him. "Why are you doing this…?" She murmured. "Why, when you're dating Lisanna?"

"I'm not," Natsu said, half-exasperated, half-amused. "Why does everyone think that? We're just childhood friends."

"But…..near the cherry blossom trees….."

The resentment in Lucy's tone was quite clear.

"She helped me find out who you were," Natsu said with a careless shrug. "I was excited and hugged her. But I don't think of her _that way_. The only person I like that way is you. Geez, for a smart person, you're pretty dumb, Luce."

Lucy, wide-eyed at how she had misinterpreted everything, became annoyed at his comment and punched him in the shoulder. "Idiot." A fresh wave of tears overcame her and she buried her head in Natsu's chest.

"I really messed up…." The blonde muttered.

Natsu chuckled and then leaned down and kissed her. Lucy was taken aback for a minute before she kissed him back happily.

Gajeel gagged, looking away. Gray smiled fondly at the girl he considered to be a sister to him. Juvia burst into tears and Levy wiped away a few, too. Erza smiled brilliantly at the pair and Jellal looked somewhat amused.

After that moment, they all joined at the table and began to eat enthusiastically, chattering away amongst themselves.

"How'd you get those screenshots, anyway?" Lucy asked her friends accusingly.

Levy smiled sheepishly. "We stole them from your phone, Lu. Sorry."

"Honestly….."

Juvia spoke dreamily as she clung to Gray. "Gray-sama and Juvia were destined to be together because of their operation team skills!"

Gray blushed and avoided her gaze.

As everyone munched on their pizza and cheered for the new couple, Erza took the strawberry cake for herself. Big surprise there.

Lucy sighed happily as she gave Natsu a kiss on the cheek. "I really love you, Natsu."

Natsu grinned down at her happily. "I love ya too, Luce."

 **(A/N): The chapter you've all been waiting for~ I hope it was to your liking! And don't worry, the story isn't over yet. Just three more chapters left.**

 **Thanks again,** **SunflowerChrysalis!**

 **Review Responses:**

 **SunflowerChrysalis:** **Thank you! And everyone loves Wendy's inner Erza~**

 **MeadowofStars:** **Thank you! And we all hope so too~**

 **Uchida Akira:** **Aw, thank you! I so glad you like it so much!**

 **0FairyTail0:** **Don't worry, he will~**

 **theComposcreator:** **I'm so happy that you think so!**

 **Guest:** **She certainly is~**

 **GhostLucy:** **I'm so happy it made you happy! Please keep reviewing!**


	21. Reflection

**Chapter-21**

 **Reflection**

A week later, on one fine morning-

"LEVY!"

Natsu watched amusedly as his girlfriend ran across the school campus at top speed to meet her blue-haired best friend.

Levy, who was walking with Gajeel, turned to Lucy as the blonde dashed over to her, raising an eyebrow. The other students in the campus looked over curiously, amused at their Vice-Presidents's antics. "What's up, Lu?"

"Look!" Lucy thrust a letter into Levy's hands. The blunette opened it up and read it, Gajeel peering curiously over her shoulder.

When Levy finished it, she smiled widely and tackled her best friend into her hug. "I'm so happy, Lucy!"

Lucy hugged her back, nearly squeezing the life out of her.

"What's going on?" Gray asked, stepping over to the pair.

Levy threw the letter at him. "Lu's novel was accepted!"

Lucy was immediately swarmed with students. Not that she minded, she hugged almost everyone who was close to her in delight. Even Gajeel got one, and he just stood there awkwardly as Lucy glomped him.

"Whew," Gajeel stepped next to Natsu, well away from the crazy crowd. "Bunny girl's really gone bananas."

Natsu chuckled. "She's actually calmed down a bit. When I got to her house to pick her up and she went to the mail box and saw the letter, she _really_ went bananas. Man, talk about kissing!"

Gajeel blanched. "Ugh, I didn't need to know _that_."

"Oh, and she was skipping all the way here," Natsu added as if an afterthought, ignoring Gajeel's comment."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOOXOXOXO

The news of Lucy's published novel spread like wildfire over the school. By lunch time, Lucy had gotten congratulated at least a hundred times. She was exhausted from having to talk to so many people but was perfectly happy, at the same time.

She met Natsu under the cherry blossom trees for lunch. After she handed him one lunch box, Lucy unwrapped hers. She turned to him as she remembered something.

"Natsu, you owe me ice-cream at the Fairy Tail Café. I won the challenge, remember?"

Natsu grimaced. "I was hoping you had forgotten about that. Hey-" He started when she leaned against his shoulder and yawned. "Aren't you going to eat?"

No response. Lucy was already fast asleep.

Natsu looked down at her face and rolled his eyes. _Lucy, ya weido._

It was weird, Natsu reflected. It all started out with a wrong phone number…..which led him to texting Lucy, or Star as he knew her then. He didn't know what exactly about her had captured his interest, but he went on conversing with her uncaringly.

Then, he met Lucy for the first time. Even though she had given him detention (granted, it was a mistake) she made lunch every day. And man, was that lunch delicious. He didn't know why this time either-but he started to like her. More than just a friend. She was the first person after Lisanna to see him as more than just a delinquent and actually be his friend. There was some connection between her and Star, but Natsu could never put his finger on it. When Lucy stopped showing up at school for some time and when Star stopped responding to his texts, Natsu's heart had been gripped with fear. He was so relieved when he realized that Lucy was Star all along and he was finally able to admit his feelings for her to himself.

The bell rang. Lucy opened her eyes groggily. "Is it time for classes already?"

"Yeah." Natsu responded.

Lucy's eyes widened and she dragged him to his feet. "Well, what are we waiting for?! Hurry!"

Natsu laughed as Lucy pulled him forcibly to class. Lucy _was_ a weirdo, but he wouldn't have her any other way.

 **(A/N): Review Responses:**

 **MeadowofStars:** **Aw, thank you! And I would love it if you supported my other stories. I will most definitely keep writing~**

 **SunflowerChrysalis:** **Thanks a lot! And of course there happiness will last-this is NaLu we're talking about. Such a happy ship~**

 **Klr14:** **About two left and the epilogue.**

 **0FairyTail0:** **Maybe, maybe not~**

 **The Composcreator:** **No, actually, the idea just popped into my head randomly…..and I'm pretty sure that there are plenty of stories like that out there. Maybe not so many in the FT fandom, though.**

 **Phiafairy:** **Yes, NaLu for the win~**

 **Zoe the Fairy:** **Thank you!**

 **GhostLucy:** **Thank you so much!**

 **OMGShamrock123:** **Thanks a lot!**

 **Guest:** **Thanks so much! I really appreciated this review!**


	22. Meeting the Family

**Chapter-22**

 **Meeting the Family**

"So you're Natsu's girlfriend, are you?" Grandine asked smilingly as she handed Lucy a cup of tea. "It's nice to meet finally meet you!"

Lucy inclined her head politely. "It's nice to meet you too, Mrs. Dragneel."

Grandine waved her off. "Don't call me that, just call me Grandine."

Lucy looked somewhat apprehensive, but complied. "Um, okay, Grandine."

Grandine turned to Natsu. "This one is so polite," She winked at him. "She's definitely a keeper."

Lucy blushed and Natsu protested. "Mom!"

Grandine laughed. "Just teasing, son."

Natsu growled and then his ears pricked up when he heard footsteps in the hall. "Wendy must be back," He said, getting up hurriedly. "I'll bring her in and introduce her to Luce."

The pinkette dashed out of the room. "Wendy!" He called.

There was a sudden crash and Natsu found himself face to face with his sister who was panting slightly. "Er, Wens?"

Wendy put on her most innocent expression and smiled at him sweetly. "Yes?"

Natsu's eyes strayed to a large vase on a side table that was shaking as if it had been pushed roughly. It was filled with roses. "I could've sworn those weren't there before…"

"Never mind!" Wendy practically snarled. "Is there something you needed?"

Natsu gulped slightly. "Lucy came…..would you like to see her?"

Wendy brightened up instantly. "Yes!" She ran into the living room.

Natsu sighed in relief. "I think I'm going to forbid Wendy from hanging around with Erza….."

He gave the roses a suspicious look before retreating into the living room himself.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

At dinner, Grandine and Wendy constantly teased Natsu about how he had managed to get such a smart and beautiful girl to fall in love with him. Lucy was enjoying herself hugely.

When Natsu was about to walk Lucy home, Grandine told him, "Lucy is a perfect girlfriend for you, Natsu. Don't you ever let her go, got it?"

Natsu grinned. "I won't."

Lucy simply blushed.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO 

Over the weekend, Lucy took Natsu to Acalypha to meet her father in the Heartfilia Mansion.

"So how come you don't live with him?" Natsu asked Lucy as they neared the huge estate.

Lucy shrugged. "I wanted to attend Fiore Academy especially so Dad got me an apartment so I could live there. On the condition that I kept up my grades, of course."

Natsu nodded, understanding, just as the huge gates opened to them.

Jude Heartfilia met them in the expensive looking lounge in the mansion. Natsu noticed that Lucy looked slightly nervous and tense. He focused on the man in front of him.

Jude surveyed Natsu as Lucy introduced him. The boy looked nothing like the kind of man he expected Lucy to date. He certainly wasn't rich. But-there was a happiness that hung around Lucy even as she held Natsu's hand. Jude hadn't seen his daughter so happy in ages.

"Mr. Dragneel," He began slowly, formal as always. "At first glance, I didn't think you're the kind of person I'd want my daughter to date."

Lucy opened her mouth angrily to say something in protest, but Natsu shook his head slowly. Jude smirked internally before continuing.

"However," He finished. "I _will_ allow you to date her-if you promise to keep her happy. That is all I ask."

Lucy looked surprised and relieved and Natsu grinned.

"I promise I'll keep her happy, sir."

Jude finally smiled. "That's good. Now," he glanced at his watch. "How about some lunch?"

"Now you're talking!"


	23. Together Forever

**Chapter-23**

 **Together Forever**

"I'm so happy that the two of you got together!" Mirajane chirped happily as she served Lucy and Natsu their ice-cream at the Fairy Tail Café. "You make such a cute couple!"

Lucy smiled at her. "Thanks, Mira!"

Mirajane gave her one last blinding smile before skipping away to the counter. Lucy giggled at her antics before turning to her strawberry ice-cream.

"I can't believe that I have to buy you ice-cream every day," Natsu complained as he dug a spoon into his chocolate ice-cream. "After all that drama, I thought ya'd let it go."

Lucy grinned at him. "A bet's a bet, Natsu. If I were in your position, you'd say the same thing."

Natsu grumbled for a while but eventually let it go, sensing that Lucy wouldn't let it go, even if he showed her his puppy dog eyes. Man, she had a cold heart.

Finishing their treats soon enough, the couple left the Fairy Tail Café and headed to the amusement park, where Natsu made a mistake by riding the roller coaster-and getting terribly motion sick.

"Honestly," Lucy chided him as they wandered through the stalls. "You should've known better, Natsu."

"Lay off," Natsu's muttered, his face still a little green.

Lucy rolled her eyes. "Fine, have it your way."

They wandered about for a little while before Lucy spotted a stall with a shooting game. Natsu entered and won a stuffed animal.

Exiting the amusement park, Natsu and Lucy wandered the city until Lucy spotted a shop.

"Natsu, look! A phone accessory store!"

Lucy dragged him inside. The store was equipped with all sorts of handy and cute items (according to Lucy, anyway).

"Hey, Luce!" Natsu yelled after browsing for some time. "Look!"

He held up a keychain of large golden star. Lucy laughed.

"Well, isn't that a coincidence?" She asked with a smile. "Look at what I found." She displayed a keychain accessory of a dragon with a small pouch on its belly.

"Let's buy 'em!"

They purchased the accessories and Lucy and Natsu went out of the shop, chattering away as they attached their key chains to their phones. Lucy couldn't help but smile at the sight of the dragon dangling from her iPhone. Natsu's wasn't able to contain his grin as he toyed with the star on his.

"Y'know, it's strange," Lucy mused as they walked together. "To think-this whole thing all started from a wrongly sent text message."

"Yeah, it's strange," Natsu agreed. "Then again, you're always a weirdo."

"I think you're forgetting that you're the one who sent the message in the first place!"

"Well, you have me to thank for that, don't ya?"

"I so do not! This whole thing wouldn't have held out if I hadn't decided to give you that two week detention!"

"Yeah, whatever."

Lucy huffed. "You are so childish!" She threw her hands up in defeat. "I don't know why I even bother."

Natsu smirked cockily. "That's 'cause you love me."

Lucy rolled her eyes, leaning against him. "Yeah, yeah, you cocky over grown lizard. I love you, happy?"

Natsu leaned in to give Lucy a kiss, all the time fiddling with the dragon pouch on her phone.

"Natsu," Lucy murmured. "Let's be together forever."

Natsu looked at her for a minute before bursting into laughter. "That sounded so sappy!"

"Well, sorry for being too sappy!" Lucy shot back.

The two of them headed towards home together, without a care in the world.

 **(A/N): And that's it! The end to** **Starlight, Starbright.** **Though there's still the epilogue left, so look forward to that!**

 **Thank you all for all the reviews! And thanks** **SunflowerChrysalis** **for all your help!**

 **Review Responses:**

 **SunflowerChrysalis:** **Thank you! And yes, that will be mega-super adorable~**

 **0FairyTail0:** **Typical Natsu indeed~**

 **Uchida Akira:** **Aw, thank you! You're such a sweet reviewer!**

 **GhostLucy:** **Yay for food~!**


	24. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

7 years later-

Lucy, now a famous writer and directing a movie based on her first book, was on break in the filming studio. She toyed with the dragon on her phone, as she remembered that fateful day she texted _DragonSlayer_ for the first time.

Everything had changed so quickly, she mused. Lucy was in touch with all of her friends from high school and she and Natsu were still dating. Their relationship was as strong as ever.

Gray and Juvia were running an ice-and-water theme park together. Erza and Jellal were married and were working as detectives. As for Gajeel and Levy, they were married as well and were working for the government.

And Natsu was a chemical engineer and was working on a fire control system. Needless to say, all of them were pretty busy.

Lucy's iPhone screen came to life, startling her. There was a message from Natsu.

 _DragonSlayer:_

 _Think you can meet me at the cherry blossom trees at our old high school tonight?_

Lucy wondered why he wanted to meet there before shrugging and replying.

 _StarlightSpirit:_

 _Sure, why not?_

 _DragonSlayer:_

 _Great! Come there at 7, 'kay?_

 _StarlightSpirit:_

 _Alright!_

Locking her phone, Lucy returned to work.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Lucy smiled as she entered her old school and headed straight to the cherry blossom trees. "This brings back memories."

Natsu was already standing beneath the trees, his cocky grin ever present as he waited for his girlfriend. Unbeknownst to Lucy, her other friends were hiding in the trees.

"Natsu!" Lucy called, running over to him. "I hope you weren't waiting long."

"Nope," Natsu said. He took her hands and pulled her close, bringing her into a sweet kiss. Pulling away after a few seconds, Lucy raised an eyebrow at him.

"Lucy," Natsu began, not letting go of her hands. "You know I love ya, right?"

Lucy blinked. "Yes, but-"

She cut off abruptly as her phone beeped. "Just a minute." Natsu released her hands and Lucy pulled her phone out of her pocket. _A scheduled text?_ Lucy thought, surprised as she looked at the screen. _Maybe it's from work?_ She opened it.

 _DragonSlayer:_

 _Luce, will you marry me?_

Lucy's eyes widened and her head shot up as she gazed at Natsu. The pinkette simply chuckled, reached out, tugged on the dragon on her phone until he pulled something out of its pouch.

"Natsu, what are you-"

Lucy stopped when he slipped a ring onto her finger. She held her hand out and the sapphire embedded into the silver band sparkled in the moonlight.

Natsu shrugged, seeing her questioning look. "I snuck it in a few months ago. I wanted to give it to ya at the right time. So, what do you say, Luce?"

Tears appeared in Lucy's eyes and she flung herself at Natsu. "Yes, you idiot."

Natsu laughed and Lucy kissed him to shut him up.

Th e couples in trees cheered and threw confetti over them (Gajeel and Gray sounding somewhat half-hearted, Jellal embarrassed and Erza, Levy and Juvia were crying even as they cheered), making Lucy jump violently as she looked up incredulously, watching them come down.

"I can't believe you guys!"

But before Lucy could chide them more, the girls flung themselves at Lucy (the blonde groaned as Erza bashed her head a little to enthusiastically against her chest) and congratulated her. The boys (even Jellal) settled for settled supplying Natsu with the customary threats of painful death if he hurt Lucy, etc, etc.

Juvia then whisked a picnic basket out of nowhere and Erza and Levy brought out a mat. Arranging everything, the 8 of them sat down and began to dig in happily.

As she ate, Lucy paused and leaned against Natsu's shoulder, a happy sigh escaping her lips.

"I love you, Natsu."

Natsu grinned as he replied.

"I love ya too, Luce."

 **(A/N): And that's it! The end to** **Starlight, Starbright!** **Thanks to everyone who constantly reviewed and followed/favorited this story! Thank you for all of your support, I couldn't have done it without you guys!**

 **And thank you SO MUCH,** **SunflowerChrysalis!** **I cannot express how grateful I am to you for all of your help.**

 **Please support my other stories** **Royal Romance** **,** **Fallen Star** **and** **Not Again!** **if you're an Inuyasha fan! And try out** **SunflowerChrysalis'** _ **Assembling Lost Fragments**_ **, too!**

 **Now, please excuse me while I go cry in a corner….**

 **Review Responses:**

 **Zoe the Fairy:** **Aw, thank you!**

 **SunflowerChrysalis:** **Thank you, so much for all your help! I'm going to miss working with you! You were such a great help and the best thing is: I got a new friend! Thanks a lot!**

 **0FairyTail0:** **Thank you! I hope you liked it! And thanks for being such a constant reviewer!**

 **Uchida Akira:** ***squeals* Thank you so much! You're one of my sweetest reviewers! I'm going to miss you~**

 **GhostLucy:** **Sorry, but it is! I hope you liked this chapter~**

 **Mavis Chase:** **Thank you!**

 **The Composcreator:** **Thank you! I hope you liked it!**

 **Klr14:** **Thank you!**

 **Thank you, everyone!**


End file.
